Hyrule Warriors: Heroes Through Time
by PhantomHeartless5
Summary: A simple trainee, Link always dreamed of being one of the great heroes of Hyrule. And when and evil sorceress named Cia declares war on Hyrule, Link gets the chance to fulfill his dreams. Meeting new friends and foes, Link travels through time and space to defeat this evil and learns what it truly means to be a hero. A novelization of Hyrule Warriors. Rated T for blood and cursing.
1. Prologue: The Beginning of the End

**Greetings, fellow fanfic authors. Well, this is it. My novelization of _Hyrule Warriors. _Now, I know some of you are thinking, "It's a bit early don't you think? The game isn't even out in the US yet." Admittedly, I was going to do a novelization of Twilight Princess, but with the game being out in Europe, I thought I'd seize the moment. This novelization is going to be slightly harder than my other two because I don't have the game nor a Wii U. Everything I write comes from what I see on Youtube. This is just the prologue to whet your appetite. Now, obviously there are going to be spoilers for those who haven't played it. So, those who wish to avoid that might as well stop reading. As for everyone else. Please read, review, and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

_**Hyrule Warriors: Heroes Through Time**_

In the lush countryside was a kingdom by the name of Hyrule. It was acclaimed by many as the most beautiful kingdom in the land. It was prosperous, lush, the people were very friendly, and the land was very peaceful. The centerpiece of this kingdom was a magnificent castle, home to an equally magnificent princess. This was the home of Princess Zelda of Hyrule. Zelda was famed throughout the land for her beauty and wisdom. Many have said that despite her young age, she ruled Hyrule with the kindness, wisdom, and grace that befitted any ruler. She was described as having beautiful, flowing golden hair, fair skin, and blue eyes so brilliant that they were said to be reflections of her pure soul.

The princess was currently asleep in her bed, enjoying a good night's rest. Or, at least, she _would_ be were it not for a recurring dream she's been having as of late. Every night she would find herself besieged by the same dream replaying itself over and over like a record. Zelda tossed and turned and clawed the sheets as the same image from before played in her mind...

Zelda was on a lush barren field, fully dressed in her armor playing a song on her Goddess Harp, one of the instruments passed down from her family. Everything seemed peaceful for the most part. That is, until the sky began to darken. At that moment, a black cloud of darkness began to appear and menaced toward her. Zelda dropped her harp in a panic and ran. The cloud raced toward her, absorbing the harp into the darkness. Zelda ran as fast as she could, but was too late and found herself overtaken by the darkness. When she opened her eyes, she awoke with a scream to find herself back in her room. Sweat poured down her brow as she massaged her temples.

At that point, Impa rushed into the room with concern easily read in her expression. Impa was a young woman with tanned skin, white hair, and fierce red eyes. She wore her standard blue uniform decorated with red feathers on her belt and the symbol of the Sheikah tribe on her breast. Impa was the head of a tribe known as the Sheikah. The Sheikah were a tribe of shadow warriors who were allies to the Hyrulean Royal Family for generations, always serving from behind the scenes. Impa, however, had decided to break away from tradition and take a more active role in serving the Royal Family. And thus, she became Zelda's most trusted adviser, as well as the Captain of the Guard. She was respected by many as a veteran soldier whose military competence and skill on the battlefield was legendary. Her loyalty to Zelda, however, was second to none. For her, Impa would go to the ends of the very earth.

"Another dream, Your Highness?" Impa asked.

"Impa..." Zelda began shakily. "The same nightmare keeps haunting me..."

"An omen, perhaps, of dark times ahead for Hyrule." Impa replied.

"Dark times?" Zelda repeated with worry.

"If that is indeed true, we must locate... _him._.." Impa said, looking at the green tunic with the blue scarf. She had been concerned for Zelda when she first told her of her dreams. Impa took them as a sign of trouble. A sign that the Hero of Legend would be needed once more as he was before. And thus, the two began to search for the reborn spirit of the Hero in hopes of combating whatever threat may arise. But so far, they've had no luck. "We must find the reborn spirit of the hero." she said as she turned to the window.

"Indeed." Zelda replied. "You go on ahead. I just need a minute to get ready."

"Are you sure you don't require anything?" Impa asked.

"No, I'll be fine." Zelda assured her. With nothing else, Impa gave a bow and exited the room. Once she was gone, Zelda rose from the bed and went through her usual morning routine, taking a shower and finally putting on her dress. Her dress was an elegant pink ballgown with a purple tabbard and gold armor decorating it. Good if she needed to join the battle in a pinch. Her golden locks were braided to keep her hair out of harms way during the battle. Her crown was gold and decorated with a red diamond.

Having put on her clothes, Zelda met up with Impa on the castle walls overlooking the nearby training yard for the new recruits. "We will find no fully-fledged heroes here..." Impa said as she watched the new recruits. "We'd be wiser looking elsewhere." As they walked along, Zelda looked to see two of the recruits sparring. But one in particular caught her eye. The recruit had blond hair and blue eyes much like she did. The recruit's name was Link. He was a young man who had always wanted to be a soldier of Hyrule since his childhood. When he was finally of age, he enlisted in the army. Ever since, he had been praised by many as the best recruit in the academy. Some even go far as to say he might be in the army one day.

Link was now sparring with one of his fellow recruits. Link assumed a fighting stance as the recruit charged at him with his wooden staff. Link blocked the staff with his training shield and leapt high into the air when his opponent tried to swing at him. Before the recruit had time to react, Link had bludgeoned him with his wooden sword. The recruit fell to the ground as Link sheathed his sword. He then walked over and extended a hand to the fallen recruit with a friendly smile. "Better luck next time." he said.

The recruit smiled back and took the hand while getting to his feet. "Wow, you really are as good as people say." he said.

"Well, not _that_ good. But thanks for noticing." Link replied. He then looked up to find Princess Zelda staring right at her. This was quite a shock for Link as he had never seen the princess in person before. Zelda continued to stare at him before turning to Impa. "He looks like a suitable candidate." she said. Impa stared at Link for a bit, not really sharing Zelda's interest. "He is merely a trainee." the Sheikah said flatly. "Come now, Impa." Zelda playfully chided. "As a Sheikah, you of all people should know that appearances can be deceiving."

"True." Impa chuckled. "If it is alright with you, milady, I would like to test him."

"If you must." Zelda said. Impa leapt from the wall into the training yard. Link was briefly startled by the Sheikah's sudden appearance, but stood at attention. "Good morning, General Impa." Link said with a salute. "At ease, recruit." Impa replied. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"Link, ma'am." Link replied. "It's an honor to meet you."

"That was quite an impressive display." Impa began, picking up the wooden staff. "Of course, anyone can defeat a trainee in combat. I wonder how your skills are against someone with years of experience under her belt?"

"You want to spar with me?" Link asked, incredulous that someone as skilled as Impa would waste time challenging a neophyte such as himself.

"If that's okay with you." Impa said as she dropped into fighting stance. "Well... okay." Link said as he took out his sword and shield and dropped into fighting stance as well. "Link, are you out of your mind?!" The trainee Link had been sparring with earlier shouted. "That's _the_ General Impa! One of the best soldiers in the army. You won't stand a chance against her!"

"She challenged me to a match." Link said. "I'm never one to back down from a good fight." Link didn't have much time to say anything else as Impa charged at him to attack with her staff. Link blocked the blow with his shield and ducked when Impa tried to swing at him. He delivered a sweeping kick to knock the Shiekah off balance, but Impa used her hands to launch herself high into the air to deliver a strike from above. Link blocked with his shield once more and the two combatants were in a gridlock, both trying to throw the other off. Link broke the stalemate by delivering a kick to Impa's knee, then following up with a kick to her chest to send her to the ground.

The other trainees in yard stopped to watch the sparring match between them. Never before has anyone been able to hold their own against Captain Impa before, let alone a trainee. Link leapt into the air an attempted to strike from above, but Impa rolled out of the way and knocked the weapon out of his hand. Link rolled out of the way to retrieve his weapon just as Impa tried to attack him again. Link made another sweeping kick then followed up with another to the chest to knock her too the ground. Impa was about to get to her feet when Link pointed the wooden sword to her face. "I think this is checkmate." Link said coyly.

"Ah, my boy. You forget the first rule of battle..." Impa began. She then made a sweeping kick of her own to send the boy to the ground. Having gained the upper hand, Impa pointed the wooden staff at his chest. "_Never_ let your guard down." she said. She then extended a hand and pulled Link to his feet. "Quite impressive." she said. "I see why many consider you the best in the academy. You show much potential." Impa then looked up to see a solider running to Zelda. She leapt back up to the castle wall to meet them. The soldier had a harried look about him as he gave a low bow.

"What is it, soldier?" Zelda asked.

"Your Highness! Trouble on the countryside!" The soldier replied. "A horde of monsters are approaching Hyrule Castle as we speak!" With determination in her expression, Zelda turned to Impa. "Impa prepare the troops for battle!" she commanded. Impa nodded in reply and she and the soldier left. Zelda took one last look at Link before following them. The trainees, meanwhile, stared at the princess and Impa, shocked by the turn of events.

"Whoa! Is that the princess?" One trainee asked.

"What's she wasting her time with us for?" asked another traineee.

"Good question." Link said to himself. "Your guess is as good as mine."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Outside Hyrule Castle gate...<strong>_

Zelda, Impa and a battalion of the Hyrulean forces stood outside the gate ready to combat whatever evil has arrived to threaten their land. Zelda stood armed with her trusty Rapier, a weapon that had been in her family for generations. Impa was armed with her Giant Blade, a large sword hand forged from the Gorons themselves. They would not have to wait for long as a dark cloud soon emerged, serving as an eerie reminder to Zelda of her recurring nightmare. As the cloud grew closer, Impa and Zelda could make out vague figures in the darkness. The horde of monsters were largely composed of red goblin-like beasts called Bokoblins, skeletal creatures called Stalfoes and Stalchildren, and lizard-like enemies called Lizalfoses. There were even some knight-like creatures called Darknuts.

But there were two figures among the horde that stood out. One was a small wizard dressed in an extravagant, but worn down purple robe with a hood. From beneath the hood, a single red eye served as his only facial feature. His hands were skeletal and his left hand had a large red ring on his index finger. The wizard lacked any visible legs and thus hovered above the ground.

But the other figure next to him, however, was much more recognizable. He was a tall man with black, almost soulless eyes. He wore impressive red armor and a dragon shaped helmet with green eyes and a red tassel that resembled hair tied in a ponytail. In his hand he held a red spear that was every bit as tall as he was. The head of his spear was decorated to resemble a dragon's claw. Everyone immediately knew who this was. This was Volga, the Dragon Knight. He was a mercenary feared throughout the land for his skill and ferocity in battle. Unlike other mercenaries, who fought for money, Volga fought for the thrill of combat. Where battle was joined, there you would find him. He was infamous for bellowing his famous war cry before charging hard into battle, slaughtering opponents at full charge and often impaling them on his spear. Some even claimed that he had the blood of dragons flowing through him and could turn into one at will. Of course, no one has ever survived a fight with him long enough to tell.

"Impa, come with me." Zelda said as she marched toward the monster horde.

"Your highness! What are you doing?" Impa asked.

"You know I prefer words over violence." Zelda replied. "If there is a way to avoid all out war, then I will readily seek it out." And without another word, she and Impa marched toward the monster horde. Volga and the Wizard did the same and met them halfway. "I do not know what business you have with Hyrule," Zelda began, "But if you have come seeking aggression, know you shall be shown no mercy. If you have a grievance with my kingdom, then please, let us discuss this peacefully."

"Our quarrel is not so much with this kingdom, but with you." the wizard said, his eye turning into a nightmarish mouth to speak. "Our fair Mistress, Cia, desires this land for herself. And we are merely granting that desire. So, merely surrender your kingdom to us and no one else need be harmed. That sounds like a fair deal, yes?"

"How dare you?!" Impa shouted with outrage. "Do you _truly_ believe Princess Zelda would give in to such outrageous demands from demons such as you? Surely you jest!"

"You know I will not do that." Zelda said sternly.

"Then... there's nothing else to discuss." the wizard said as he turned to Volga. "Oh, well, I tried. Volga?" Without a word, flames gathered around Volga's body as he transformed into a monstrous dragon with a fiery mane and a skull for a head. He then gathered fire and spat a large fireball at the castle. The soldiers managed to move out of the way in time. Impa and Zelda glared at the two monsters with clear anger in their eyes. "You dare attack Hyrule Castle?! You monsters!" Impa said as she drew her Blade.

"Hiya ha ha! And we're just getting started!" The wizard shouted with sadistic glee. "Attack my hordes! Slaughter them all!"

"Soldiers of Hyrule, defend your kingdom to the very end!" Zelda said as she and the soldiers charged into the horde. With elegance and grace, Zelda fought her way through the horde with excellent fencing skills. A group of four Lizalfos charged at her. The princess used her powerful light magic passed down from her family and summoned the Light Arrows. She then fired four of them at the Lizalfoses and they died instantly, dissolving into purple smoke. She then infused her Rapier with her light magic and continued to cut down the monster horde.

Impa, meanwhile, was facing her own group of attackers. Using her iaijutsu skills, she cartwheeled into her enemies, deftly wielding her sword with her feet. She then summoned large swords constructed by water magic to slash at her enemies before leaping into the air and firing knives made of water. The attack left bubbles on her enemies heads, suffocating them and distracting them long enough for Impa to finish them off.

Volga, still in dragon form, dived into a group of soldiers, the impact of his landing making a large explosion. He then turned back into his human form. "Rejoice soldiers." he said. "You've been trained to fight warriors like me. Now's your chance. If you're ready to join your ancestors, then I accept your challenge!" The soldiers surrounded Volga and attempted to charge at him from all sides. In one fluid motion, Volga impaled one soldier on his spear, slammed him into another, turned his hand into a dragon's claw and grabbed another solider by the head before crushing his skull, slashed the fourth soldier with his dragon claw, and finally breathed fire on the final soldier, burning him horrifically.

"Pathetic vermin." he said before flying off to the next battle. The wizard, meanwhile, found himself surrounded by a group of Hyrulean soldiers. Gathering dark energy around his hands, he spun around while firing dark energy bolts. Knocking them all to the ground. He then raised his ring into the air, which began glowing with the same dark energy. It then fired tendrils of black lightning at the soldiers, horrifically emaciating them as if it was sucking out their very souls. "Mmm, delicious." the wizard said. Zelda saw the wizard and gave chase. "This rampage through my kingdom must end, wizard!" she shouted.

"Only if you can catch me first!" he said as he led Zelda through a nearby keep. Just when she caught up with him, he sunk into the ground like a shadow. "Now, minions!" he shouted. Just then, a group of Bokoblins threw some boulders to block the keep's entrance. "Perfect! Try to fight without your precious princess now! Hiya ha ha!" he cackled.

"Princess Zelda!" Impa shouted as she and some troops ran to the blocked entrance. "I'm alright, Impa!" Zelda replied from the other side. "Just keep fighting! If they seize Hyrule Castle, all is lost!" Impa hesitated for a few moments before she turned to her troops and said. "You heard her, men. Defend Hyrule Castle at all costs!" And with that, she and the others ran back into the battlefield.

* * *

><p>"<em>I gotta do something<em>." That was the thought that kept playing over and over in Link's mind. It started from the moment he felt the castle shake from the fireball attack. He knew that the army was locked in a fierce battle. He also knew that Princess Zelda and Impa were in trouble. Even though he was a trainee, he was still a soldier for Hyrule. He felt that he just couldn't sit by while the kingdom was under attack from monsters! He just _had_ to help somehow! With his resolved hardened, he took one of the many training swords from the yard and snuck out while the crowd was distracted.

As he made his way to the castle entrance, he saw three other trainees talking. "So, we just wait to hear what happened?" one of them asked.

"Pretty much all we can do." the other replied. "Unless you're thinking of jumping in there to help."

"Hardly." the third one said. "We wouldn't last two seconds out there." The three of them then stopped their conversation when they noticed Link walking to the castle drawbridge. "Hey. isn't that Link?" One of them asked. "What do you think you're doing with that sword?!" Link didn't answer, but drew his sword and ran out the castle. "Hey, wait! Stop! Link, are you crazy?!" The trainee asked.

"The dude's out of his mind!" the other said.

"He'll be killed out there!" Another said.

"Don't be a hero, Link!" The other pleaded.

But Link could no longer hear them as he was already outside, unsure but ready to face whatever dangers awaited him out there.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Chapter Preview: The Armies of Ruin. Next time on <em>Hyrule Warriors!<em> As the battle for Hyrule Field seemed to be turning in the favor of the Dark Forces, Link charges into the battlefield to help out however he could. But just when they believe the battle to be over, tragedy strikes! Find out what happens on the next chapter of _Hyrule Warriors!_**


	2. Chapter 1: The Armies of Ruin

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Hyrule Warriors! It was just another peaceful day at Hyrule Castle, but that peace was soon shattered when a horde of monsters attacked Hyrule Castle. Despite the valiant efforts of the Hyrulean Forces, they soon found themselves overwhelmed. Though the situation seemed hopeless, a brave trainee named Link took a sword and charged into the battlefield, seeking to help out however he could. Find out what happens, now!**

As Link ran out of the castle and into the field, he soon found himself walking into a scene of complete chaos. The Hyrulean Forces were fighting the Dark Forces in all directions. "Hiya ha ha!" Link heard the wizard cackle, looking up to see him in the sky commanding the Dark Forces from above. "Keep attacking, my hordes! They'll be dead soon enough!" Link didn't know where to start, but he didn't have much time to think about it as a horde of Bokoblins came charging at him. Link drew his sword and ran into the horde, cutting them down with ease and using a Spin Attack to finish them off.

"Somebody help!" A voice cried out. "I'm too little to fight monsters!" Link frantically looked around for the source of the voice and out of the blue came a blue fairy. Before Link could say anything, the fairy had hidden itself in his uniform. "Whew! Close one!" The fairy said. "Uh, hey little guy." Link said. "What're you doing in there?" Link was one of the few individuals born with the ability to talk to fairies. Ever since he was a lad, he would communicate with fairies as a way of having a friend.

"I need a place to hide from those monsters!" The fairy said. "You seem like a big, strong fellow. Can I stay with you from now on?" Link wanted to say no, but his kind nature made it impossible to refuse the request of a creature so small. "Uh, sure thing." Link said. "My name's Link. What's your name? If we're going to be sticking together, we might as well get to know one another."

"Link, huh?" The fairy asked. "That's a funny name. My name's Proxi. I think we're gonna be great friends!"

"Nice to meet you too." Link said. "Now let's go!" Link then turned to see Impa holding her own against another horde of Bokoblins led by a Lizalfos. "Where did all these monsters come from?" She asked as she continued to fend them off. However, she was too distracted when a Lizalfos caught her off guard with a sweep of its tail, knocking her to the ground. The Lizalfos then raised its blade to deliver the final blow only for Link to leap in between it and Impa and impale the beast through the heart. The monster died instantly and dissolved into smoke. "General Impa? Are you okay?" Link asked as he extended a hand for her to get up. "Yes, I'm fine." She said as she got to her feet. "But what are _you_ doing here? You're-"

"Yes, I'm just a recruit. This is way too dangerous. I'm going to get myself killed." Link interrupted. "I know, but I'm still a solider of Hyrule. I wasn't going to stand by while the kingdom was under attack. I want to help somehow! Please, give me a chance!" Impa took a long look at the boy, studying him a bit. She wanted to reprimand him for running off like this, but if they were to turn this battle around, then they would need all the help they could get. "I suppose beggars can't be choosers." Impa conceded. She then pointed to the blocked off keep. "The Dark Forces have cut off access to Princess Zelda. We need explosives to destroy the boulders. One of the Goron Captains might have some bombs on hand. Seek them out."

"Yes ma'am!" Link replied as he ran to the Abandoned Fort. Bokoblins tried to stop him, but Link sliced his way through the monsters with ease. Impa, meanwhile, watched him with surprise. "Is he really just a new recruit?" she asked herself. Link had made it to the abandoned fort, but as soon as he did, he heard a fierce roar. Link looked up to see a large red dragon flying overhead. The dragon swooped downward before doing a somersault in the air. It then disappeared in a flash of fire and in its place was a menacing warrior in red armor and a dragon-shaped helmet. It was Volga, the Dragon Knight. Volga twirled his spear in the air for a bit before slamming it on the ground and letting out a thunderous war cry, radiating waves of fire.

"Link, don't let the Dragon Knight through!" Impa shouted as she ran towards Link only to be stopped by more of the Dark Forces. "I'm on my way to help!" Link nodded and dropped into fighting stance. Volga merely looked at the boy and scoffed. "A trainee? This is the best Hyrule has to offer? Insulting..."

"And who are you supposed to be?" Link asked defensively.

"I have many names." Volga replied. "The Dragon Knight, the Scorching Berserker, the Crimson Dragon, the Red Demon. But you can know me as Volga, your destroyer! So rejoice boy. For this is your first taste of battle. And it shall be your last! Have at thee!" Volga charged at Link with his spear, but the boy rolled out of the way and slashed at the Dragon Warrior. Volga leapt back and inhaled deeply before breathing a torrent of fire. Link defended against the flames with his shield.

Volga attempted another strike with his spear but Link blocked with his shield. The two were locked in a stalemate, both attempting to throw off the other. Thinking quickly, Link kicked Volga in the knee several times, distracting him long enough to headbutt him. Link then made five quick slashes before ending with a thrust to the chest that pushed Volga back onto his knees. Link stood ready for whatever attack he had planned. "Get out of my way, boy." Volga growled as he got to his feet, fire consuming his right arm. It then turned into a large dragon claw and he charged at Link once more. Link readied himself, but Volga effortlessly knocked him aside.

"Link!" Impa shouted as she raced to the boy's side, drawing her blade as she glared at the Dragon Knight. Volga gave another scoff. "How noble. Enjoy your shared grave." He then began to gather fire around himself. Impa rushed to Link and tried to wake him up, but it was in vain. Volga spat a blast of fire that surely looked to be the mortal blow. The blast seemed to hit its mark. Volga observed the flickering embers for a while before he gave a victorious smirk. But as he turned away, light began to show forth from the flames. Volga turned with surprise to see Link standing to his feet. But the most noticeable feature was the glowing triangle in his hand. It was a feature that did not go unnoticed as Impa saw it too.

"It _can't_ be!" Impa said. "That's-"

"The Triforce of Courage..." Volga finished, continuing to stare at the trainee, giving a smirk. "So, the reborn spirit of the Hero stands before me. Interesting. This has certainly been a surprising turn of events. Perhaps this battle wasn't a total waste after all." He then sprouted dragon wings on his back and rose into the air. "You haven't beaten me." He said. "You've merely hidden behind your shields. Human and otherwise." He then started to fly away only for the wizard to grab his ankle with a large clawed hand from his chest. "And just _where_ do you think you're going?!" the wizard asked. "Get back here and kill people!"

"Unhand me, Wizzro." Volga coldly commanded. "I must report back to Mistress Cia."

"_She_ can wait." Wizzro said. "_I_ need you _here, **now!**_" Volga responded by breathing fire on Wizzro's hand. The sorcerer released his grip and howled in pain as he descended to the ground. "You do not command me, sorcerer." Volga said as he flew away. Wizzro eventually recovered, grumbling to himself. "What does Mistress Cia see in that scaly idiot, I'll never know." His thoughts were then interrupted by a tap on his shoulder from a Lizalfos who had overheard his rant. The lizard creature folded its arms across its chest as a sign that he took offense to Wizzro's statement. "I wasn't talking about _you_, idiot! Send out the next unit!" The Lizalfos shrugged and left Wizzro alone.

"I'm surrounded by morons." he grumbled.

Back at the Abandoned Fort, both Link and Impa tried to make sense of what just occurred. "General Impa...?" Link began to question. "What the heck is this?"

"The Triforce of Courage." Impa answered. "I'll explain what it is later. But for now, focus on the mission. Find the Goron Captain!" Link wanted more answers, but knew better than to argue with a general. He nodded and went on through the fort. That's when he saw a Goron Captain in a fight with a Lizalfos. Link drew his blade, unaware that it was glowing with blue light. When he swung it, he released a blue wave of energy that decapitated the Lizalfos in one blow, killing it on the spot. Link stood there slackjawed, staring at his sword in disbelief. "How did it do that?!" Link asked himself. He then looked at the Triforce of Courage in his hand. "It wasn't the sword... it was _me._" he said. "This thing is giving me power."

His train of thought was soon derailed with the Goron Captain ran up to him. "I don't know how you did that, but thanks for saving me! Anything I can do to return the favor?"

"Do you have any bombs?" Link asked. "We need them to get to Princess Zelda!"

"You're in luck, kid!" the Goron said. "I just happen to have one bomb bag on me. I figured you could get more use out of it than I will." He then handed Link the bomb bag. "Thanks!" Link said. He then ran back to Impa. "General Impa! I've got some bombs!" he said. Impa nodded in approval. "With these, we should be able to reach Princess Zelda." she replied. "Well, let's find out." Link pulled a bomb out and tossed it at the boulders. The explosion destroyed the boulders on impact. Link and Impa ran to see Princess Zelda giving orders to the troops.

"Look Link!" Proxi said. "The princess!"

"Stand your ground, soldiers!" she said. "We are the only ones who can defend Hyrule!"

"Princess Zelda!" Impa shouted as she ran toward her. "Impa!" Zelda shouted back. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Likewise, m'lady." Impa replied. "I feared I would have never reached you had it not been for a brave trainee."

"A trainee?" Zelda asked. "Well, from the smallest seed spring forth the biggest tree. So, who is this brave lad?"

"Actually, he's someone you've met before." Impa said as she turned to Link, who walked up to them. "You!" Zelda said. "I saw you at the training yard!"

"Hello, Princess Zelda." Link greeted with a low bow. "It's an honor to meet you in person, though I'd hoped for better circumstances."

"It seemed you were right about this one." Impa said. "He helped save my life..." She then leaned in to whisper in Zelda's ear. "...And he bears the Triforce of Courage."

"Really?!" Zelda asked. "So he's the one we've been searching for?"

"I believe so, Your Highness." Impa replied.

"Um, not to be rude..." Link began, having overheard the conversation. "But I'm the one _what?_" Their conversation was quickly interrupted when a horde of Bokoblins led by a horribly obese Moblin charged into the keep. "Attack! _Destroy_ _**Massacre!**_" Wizzro shouted. "Kill the royal bitch before I grow impatient!"

"No time to explain!" Zelda said. "I have a plan to turn the tide of this battle in our favor! But first we must drive our enemies to the north. To do that, we must capture the Central and East Field Keeps and close their gates. I will handle the East Field Keep. Impa, you and Link must capture the Central Keep!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Impa and Link said in unison. The three then went their separate ways. As Zelda went to the East Field Keep, Impa and Link charged their way through to the Central Keep. There, they were met with more Bokoblins and two Lizalfoses. Link and Impa made short work of the monsters. Impa kicked her sword into the air and caught it just as it began to unsheathe itself and swung downward, releasing a crescent wave of water that scattered her foes. Link, meanwhile, raised his sword into the air, gathering blue light around it before he performed a giant spin attack. With their combined teamwork, the two managed to clear the keep with ease and closed its gates.

"Mission accomplished." Link said.

"Not yet." Impa replied. "We must meet up with Princess Zelda. The two ran to the East Field Keep and saw Zelda dueling a Lizalfos. The Lizalfos blocked her fencing attacks and tried to strike back with its blade only for Zelda to backflip to avoid it. She then quickly fired off a Light arrow to finish the beast off. With the enemies cleared from the keep, the soldiers closed the gates. Zelda went to meet Link and Impa. "I trust you have closed the Central Keep?" she asked.

"Yes." Impa said "We've driven the enemies to the north as you commanded."

"Okay, so now what?" Link asked.

"Now, we must call upon the Great Fairy to assist us." Zelda said. "Come." The three of them then ran to the Fairy Fountain, but when the got there, the entrance was blocked by boulders. "Oh, no!" Zelda said. "They must have anticipated my strategy in advance. If only we had some bombs, then we could blow the entrance open."

"Did someone say bombs?" Link asked as he pulled one out and tossed it at the entrance, the explosion opening the way to the Fairy Fountain.

"Excellent job, Link!" Zelda said. "Hurry, we must pray to the Great Fairy if we are to defeat these invaders." The three of them ran inside the fountain. Zelda began to pray, creating a Magic Circle on the ground. Impa stood next to Zelda and began praying as well. Link stood on the other side of Zelda and followed suit. After a few minutes, the circle began to glow and out from the fountain sprung forth the Great Fairy herself. She was a truly magnificent sight, far more than your average fairy. She was a beautiful statuesque woman with long pink hair tied in three pigtails that was decorated with leaves and flowers. Her outfit was a revealing one that seemed to be made from more flowers and leaves. She had long pink fingernails and was barefoot.

"I have heard your prayers, my friends." the fairy said, her voice echoing across the room. "I have seen the plight Hyrule finds itself in and I think it's time for some explosively divine intervention!" The Great Fairy giggled as she snapped her fingers. All of a sudden, fairies everywhere began to grab bombs from all the soldiers on the field. Link, Impa, and Zelda ran outside to see swarms of Fairies grab bombs and bring them together to form a giant golden bomb. The bomb then dropped onto a large group of the Dark Forces and exploded, killing them all in an instant. The explosion was enormous and could be seen for miles.

"We did it!" Zelda exclaimed. "The enemy's forces have suffered a great loss!"

"Great! Now we can counterattack!" one of the Hylian Captains said.

"Please, Princess Zelda." Impa began. "You must pull back to the Castle. We can manage the battle from here." Zelda nodded in compliance. "I understand. May the goddesses protect you!" And with that, Zelda stepped on the Magic Circle to teleport herself back to Hyrule Castle. "And you as well." Impa replied. "Link, come on!" And the two of them ran back to the North Square.

Wizzro, meanwhile, saw the blast as well. "What the hell was _that?!_" he asked in frustration.

"It was the Great Fairy, sir." A Bokoblin replied.

"And who let them talk to the Great Fairy?!" Wizzo asked, more exasperated. "I thought we blocked off the entrance! Can any of you sloths give me some good news?"

"Actually yes." The Bokoblin said. "We've received word that Princess Zelda is back in Hyrule Castle." The news made Wizzro perk up with intrigue. "Really? Well, isn't that splendid. Here's where thing's get interesting! Unleash King Dodongo!" Wizzro rose into the air as his ring began to glow. That's when a large portal appeared. And what came through the portal was a large yellow lizard like creature that resembled a wingless ceratops dragon. It had large red horns on its head and red spikes on its back. It's eyes and its claws were also red. The monster gave a thunderous roar before rolling into the North Square, startling Link and the troops.

"How did the wizard transport a creature of that size to the battlefield so quickly?!" Impa asked as she drew her blade.

"Doesn't matter, we can't let it get to the castle!" Link replied. "Let's do what we can to stop it!" With that the troops charged at the beast. King Dodongo raised its front legs and slammed the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked them all back. The monster then reared back and breathed a stream of flames in a sweeping motion, burning some of the soldiers. Link dodged the flames and slashed away at the monster, but its thick, scaly hid deflected all of his blows. King Dodongo raised its claw and swatted him away like a gadfly. Impa leapt into the air and assailed the beast with water knives, but to no avail. The creatures skin deflected them all. King Dodongo spat a fireball at her in retaliation.

Meanwhile, Wizzro watched the display from above, an amused chuckle escaping his lips. "Yes, enjoy your time with the king." he mused. "I have an appointment elsewhere!" And with that, the dark wizard flew to Hyrule Castle. Meanwhile, Link and the others struggled to hold off King Dodongo. "There must be a way to defeat this monster!" Impa said. Link scanned the monster, searching for any weak spots. But it seemed the beast's scaly hide made it impervious to pain. But when it opened its mouth and began to charge another fireball, Link got an idea. He ran up to King Dodongo and tossed a bomb into the lizard's gaping maw. The monster swallowed the bomb and it exploded within the bowels of the beast, causing it to fall over.

"General Impa! Try attacking its belly!" Link shouted. "Now, while it's stunned!" Both Impa and Link furiously slashed away at the reptile's soft underbelly until the monster got back to its feet and literally rolled straight out of the keep. The soldiers chased the monster, doing all they can to impede its progress. The monster reared back and violently stomped the ground, sending them flying back. It then charged up another fireball, but Link got to his feet and quickly tossed another bomb in its maw. The explosion stunned the monster. Link saw the opportunity and leapt onto the monster, his sword glowing with blue light as he impaled the beast in the neck.

King Dodongo let out one final dying roar as it faded to black and exploded into particles. The Hyrulean soldiers cheered as Link sheathed his sword. Impa walked up to him. "Great job everyone!" she said. "This is why we never give up!" She then turned to Link. "Excellent job, Link. For a mere trainee, you displayed courage and integrity that befits any soldier of Hyrule. The kingdom is fortunate to have you."

"Don't blush, Link, but I think you just got a compliment." Proxi said as she appeared from Link's uniform.

"And who is this?" Impa asked.

"My new friend, Proxi." Link replied. "I found her wandering the battlefield and decided to take her with me."

"You can speak to fairies?" Impa asked. While it wasn't completely surprising, it was an ability that was quite rare nonetheless. "It seems you're full of surprises." The moment was soon cut short when one of the captains ran up to Impa. "General, troubling news! The enemy wizard has taken the castle!" he said in a harried panic. "What?!" Impa asked, shocked. "So the beast was a mere distraction... Tell me, what of Princess Zelda?"

"We've searched the castle, we can't find any trace of her!" The captain replied.

"What?!" both Link and Impa asked in unison. Without hesitation, Link ran to the castle. "Link, wait!" Impa shouted, but the boy was long gone. "Forgive me, General. I was careless." The captain said. "We should've guarded her more closely."

"It's alright, soldier." Impa replied, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Things can get hectic in the heat of battle. But now, finding the princess is our top priority. Assemble a squad of your best men. We'll be moving out soon. And tell the rest to stay here and guard the castle. With the princess gone, Hyrule Castle is even more vulnerable. Those monsters might strike again."

"Yes ma'am!" The soldier replied with a salute and ran off. Impa did the same and went to the castle where she found Link. Link had just finished searching the castle, but all he could find were the corpses of dead soldiers, horribly emaciated as their souls were sucked out of them. The princes was nowhere in sight. But before Link could do anything else, he was set upon by three Bokoblin stragglers. The trio of demons attempted to ambush him. Link drew his blade, ready to fight. But the three Bokoblins were instantly struck down by Impa's blade. Impa sheathed her sword and walked up to Link. "We searched the entire castle, but the princess is nowhere to be found." She said. "I pray she's all right. I know this is soon, but I must ask for your help in finding her." She then handed Link the green tunic and blue scarf. "What's this?" Link asked.

"Your new uniform." Impa replied. "We will need your help in the coming war. Put on this tunic and meet me inside the castle. We have much to discuss." And with that, the two headed inside the castle.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Later, In Hyrule Castle... <strong>_

Link had finally put on the uniform and emerged from the trainee barracks. There he saw Impa waiting outside. "I see you have put on your new uniform." She said. "I'm surprised you were able to put it on so quickly."

"Me too." Link said. "I've never seen this before, yet somehow it..."

"Felt familiar?" Impa asked. "Like you have worn it before?"

"Yeah... General Impa? What's this all about?" Link asked. Impa began to walk down the hall. "Follow me." She commanded. Link silently obeyed. "Tell me, Link. How much do you know about the Hero of Legend and the Triforce?" Impa asked. "Bits and pieces." Link replied. "I was always more of an athlete than a bookworm. That and... I kinda fall asleep in class."

Impa took a deep breath. "Well, the legend goes like this: The Triforce is an object of tremendous power. A harmonious union of Power, Wisdom, and Courage. He who touches it shall have their heart's desire granted. As a result, it has been the object of countless battles between the forces of light and darkness. Each time the Triforce fell into the hands of evil, Hyrule was plunged into misery and chaos. But the world continuously calls for balance. As such, evil cannot exist without good. And thus, in every age, a hero clad in green would rise to slay this evil and restore peace to the land in an eternal cycle of destruction and rebirth. During one of these dark times, the legendary hero decided to end the cycle for good by splitting the spirit of evil into four fragments. Three of these spirit fragments were scattered across spacetime and sealed away. The final fragment was sealed in a sacred temple, built on holy ground and imprisoned by the Blade of Evil's Bane."

"Wow. That's an awesome story, General Impa." Link said. "But with all due respect, what's this got to do with me?"

"Recently, Princess Zelda had been plagued by nightmares." Impa continued. "The both of us took this as an omen of dark times ahead for Hyrule. As well as a sign that the legendary hero will be needed once again." Link paused for a moment before his eyes went wide with realization. "Wait, and you think this hero is... _me?!_"

"Yes." Impa replied, finally turning to look at him.

"B-b-but General Impa!" Link stammered. "I'm just a trainee! I-I'm no hero! Surely you've got the wrong guy!"

"Oh?" Impa replied. "The Triforce of Courage on your hand would beg otherwise."

"What, this?" Link asked, looking at his hand. "It's just a birthmark, really. I rarely even paid attention to it until it started glowing. How does this make me a hero?"

"Much like the Triforce of Wisdom is the birthright of the Royal Family, the Triforce of Courage resides within the spirit of the hero." Impa explained. "It waits in slumber until the hero demonstrates the courage necessary to awaken it."

"And I demonstrated that courage? How?" Link asked.

"Tell me, why did you run out to the battlefield?" Impa asked in return.

"Because I couldn't stand by while the kingdom was in danger." Link said. "I had to do _something_."

"And that's exactly why the Triforce awakened within you." Impa said. "The fact that you were willing to help regardless of the danger you were facing all but demonstrates your courage. As such, the Triforce recognized you as the reborn hero. And now you must call upon that courage to aid Hyrule in its our of need." Eventually, the two had reached the armory. "Ah, here we are." She went to the back wall and pressed a hidden switch. That caused the wall to open up and reveal several new weapons. The first was a sturdy metal shield with the crest of the Royal Family. The next was a large rod with a red orb on it. The next were a pair of large silver gauntlets with a large Ball and Chain.

"What are these?" Link asked. "Never seen these weapons before."

"Weapons specifically designed to be used by the reborn hero." Impa said. "Obviously we had to keep these away from the other soldiers. If any of them were to find these... things would get a bit hectic."

"You mean these are all for me?" Link said.

"This is war, boy." Impa said sternly. "A sword and a shield can only carry you so far in battle. The Hylian Shield was hand forged by Gorons and made from the strongest metals known to man. Not even a factory of Bombchus can break it. The Magic Rod allows you to harness the element of fire and can change its form for versatility. And the gauntlets grant you immense strength in battle and can harness the power of electricity."

"This is all overwhelming." Link said as he lowered his head. Impa walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know that you're nervous." She began. "And rightly so, but we don't get to choose our battles. Sometimes, they are chosen for us. This is one of those times. If we are to save Princess Zelda and all of Hyrule, then you must banish your fear and prove yourself as a hero worthy of this tunic. Princess Zelda has faith in you, and after seeing you in action, I do as well. Are you willing to lend your aid?"

Link remained silent for a while before finally replying. "I still don't think I'm hero material, but if the princess is in danger, then as a soldier, I'm duty bound to help her. You've got my help."

"That's what I like to hear." Impa said with a smile. "Now rest up. We move out in a few hours."

* * *

><p><em><strong>At the Temple of Souls...<strong>_

Wizzro floated through the corridors, grumbling to himself. He and his minions managed to take Hyrule Castle, but that blasted princess was nowhere to be found. She hadn't been killed or he would have seen a body. She must have escaped during the chaos. Naturally, Wizzro didn't take this news well and killed some of his troops in frustration. It was the wrong move, but he hated bad news. There was also a bit of dread. He knew Mistress Cia would not take it well.

Eventually, he got to Cia's chambers and opened the door. There he saw Volga talking with Cia, who was sitting on a chair with her back turned to him. Cia's room had a bed, a dresser for doing her hair and makeup and was littered with pictures of Link everywhere on the walls. "Ah, Wizzro. You're just in time." Cia said. "So, the battle went well I assume?"

"Yes, Mistress." Wizzro said. "My forces have managed to seize control of Hyrule Castle."

"And what of the princess?" Cia asked.

"Uh... regrettably, she is nowhere to be found." Wizzro muttered. "But fret not, my forces are scouring Hyrule as we speak! We'll hunt her down in no time! Of course, she probably would be dead by now if a certain _someone_ had stayed behind to help me." Volga replied by sending out another fireball from his finger at the sorcerer. Wizzro howled in pain as the flames burned his robe. He then glared at the Dragon Knight, hands glowing with dark energy. "Why you scaly-!"

"Enough!" Cia shouted, cowing the wizard into submission. "Now Volga, you were saying something before Wizzro walked in?"

"Yes." Volga replied. "We've found the hero." The news made Cia perk up and she remained silent for a while. "Really? Well, let's see what he looks like." She then gazed into her crystal ball and the image of Link appeared. "Well." She said. "Blonde, blue eyes, and the Triforce of Courage. Everything a girl wants and more. Much better than the portraits." She then turned to face her cohorts, revealing herself to be a beautiful dark skinned young woman dressed in very revealing black attire. She had white hair and wore a large, exotic headpiece with a bird shape mask to conceal her eyes.

"It's about time he showed up." she said. "It's bad manners to keep a lady waiting. The Hyrulean Forces are heading through the Eldin Caves. Wizzro, see that it becomes their tomb. But make sure to bring the hero to me."

"At once, Mistress Cia." Wizzro replied as he sank into the ground like a shadow. Volga walked out the room, his business concluded. Now alone, Cia gazed into her crystal ball and saw the image of Link again. "I've finally found you, my beloved hero. And soon... you'll be mine."

She then kissed the crystal ball and gave a little giggle.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Chapter Preview: The Sheikah Tribesman. Next time on <em>Hyrule Warriors.<em> Link, Impa, and the troops hear rumors of a young woman leading a resistance in Faron Woods. Daring to hope the woman was Zelda, Impa leads the troops through the scorching Eldin Caves, where they are rescued from the Dark Forces by a mysterious youth named Sheik of the Sheikah Tribe, who claims to know where Princess Zelda is. Who is this Sheik? And what connection does the youth have with Zelda? Find out on the next chapter of _Hyrule Warriors! _**


	3. Chapter 2: The Sheikah Tribesman

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on _Hyrule Warriors_. After an arduous battle, Link and his allies managed to slay King Dodongo. But the beast was only meant to serve as a distraction so Wizzro could seize the castle. To make matters worse, Princess Zelda was nowhere to be found, having disappeared in the chaos. Forseeing Link's help in the coming war, Impa presented the boy with a tunic, the sign of the legendary hero. Link believed himself unworthy of the honor, but nevertheless agreed to help. Now the two of them, along with some of the soldiers, must locate Princess Zelda.**

**OOC: Someone had asked me a question regarding DLC characters, so I figured I should say something. First off, one of the DLC characters is Epona, who serves as Link's new weapon. Regrettably, she will not be in the story because there's no way I can think of to properly mesh her in. But don't worry. I plan to write a novelization of _Twilight Princess_ after this one. Now, when other DLC characters are announced, I may try to integrate them into the story if I can. But that's a pretty big if. There's also the DLC which gives Cia, Wizzro, and Volga a little side story. I might just write a little separate story on that rather than try to add it to this story unless I can properly mesh it with this one. And that is pretty much it. Please continue to enjoy the story.**

Weeks had passed since the monsters had seized Hyrule Castle. During that time, Impa and the troops scoured all of Hyrule for any trace of the missing Princess Zelda. But so far, the search turned out to be fruitless. Impa was just about to give up hope until she had heard rumors that a young woman was leading a resistance group against a horde of monsters in Faron Woods. Daring to hope that the young woman was Zelda, Impa and the troops decided the quickest way to Faron Woods would be through the Eldin Caves. The Eldin caves was a volcanic region frequently mined by the Gorons for precious metal. It was where the Hyrulean Army got most of its weaponry from.

Link, Impa, and the troops had been wandering the caves for a while now, trying to find the exit. Link himself was sweating from the volcanic heat. "Geez, I'm frying like an egg over here." he said as he wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "Well, the Eldin Caves are volcanic." Impa said. "Haven't you ever been to the caves before?"

"Not really." Link replied. "Honestly, I've never really been to other places in Hyrule before."

"Well, consider this a field trip." Impa chuckled as she pulled out a telescope. "Hmm, the exit is over there, but there's lava blocking the way. Looks like we'll have to go all the way around the north to get to it."

"Don't worry, Impa!" Link said. "I'm ready to help. I'm sure we'll get everyone out here in one piece." That's when Proxi appeared, having gone ahead to scout the area. "Proxi. Where's the rest of the troops?" Link asked. "The troops went on ahead without us!" the fairy said. "And what's worse, monsters have surrounded them! We have to catch up!" With the fairy's words, Link and Impa ran through the caves, eventually reaching the gate at West Point Square. "I can hear the soldiers ahead, but the gate appears to be locked!" Proxi said. "Is there any way to open the gates?"

"Let me try something." Link said. He then put on his new Silver Gauntlets and walked to the door. Grunting with exertion, Link managed to force the doors open. "Shall we?" Link asked as he and the troops marched forward into the caves. "Hmph. A soldier and a gentleman at that." Impa mused as they ran in the caves. There they were assailed by more Stalchildren and Stalfoses. Link and Impa managed to fight their way through the caves, but more of them just kept appearing. "We're being overwhelmed here!" one of the soldiers said.

"Keep moving troops!" Impa commanded. "We're almost out!" And eventually, the troops managed to make it out of the caves. There they saw the Hylian Captain fighting a group of Stalfoses led by a large Poe. "Reinforcements are here! Oh, thank goodness!" he shouted happily, his morale improving. "The Calvary as arrived!" Link boasted as he jumped into the fray and attacked the Poe. The specter teleported away and attempted to attack Link with its lantern, but the young soldier rolled out of the way and made several rapid slashes from behind before pulling out his Magic Rod and finishing the ghost off with a blast of flame.

With the crisis averted, the troops looked to see a large pillar of rock embedded in lava blocking the path. "That rock is impeding our progress." Impa said. "We need to remove it."

"I can take care of it." Link said as he prepared his Magic Rod only to be stopped by Impa. "I doubt your rod will have much effect on that. This will need something bigger."

"How about a Bombchu?" A Goron Captain asked from the Entry Square. "Can't get much bigger than that!"

"Excellent idea. Deploy the Bombchu." Impa ordered. The captain and a few Gorons opened a large box. Out of the box came a large machine shaped like a blue and yellow mouse. This was a Bombchu. It was a powerful explosive, great for clearing out territory. The only downside to its destructive power was that it constantly had to be protected when on the move. Case in point. The moment the Bombchu made its way to the stone, the Dark Forces appeared. "Hiya ha ha!" Wizzro cackled as he appeared in a puff of dark flame. "Getting you into these caves was a simple matter. Now they shall become your tomb!"

"You!" Impa shouted. "What have you done with Princess Zelda?!"

"Please, call me Wizzro." Wizzro replied. "And don't worry about your princess. You might be joining her soon! Destroy that eyesore of a rat! Show these fools the depths of despair!" And with that, the Dark Forces charged towards the Hyrulean Army as Wizzro teleported away. "Soldiers! Defend the Bombchu!" Impa ordered as she and the troops charged into battle. Impa dismissed her Giant Blade and summoned her Naginata in a flash of flame. With incredible speed and dexterity, Impa twirled the weapon, slashing away at the monsters. She then threw the Naginata at a group of Stalchildren, causing an explosion.

Link took out his Magic Rod and transformed it into an axe as he charged into the horde of demons, cutting them down with ease. He then threw the axe around himself to finish the enemies surrounding him before leaping into the air and using the Magic Rod's power to summon a large meteor to crash into the ground and finish off the remaining forces. The other soldiers did what they could to stop the Dark Forces from reaching the Bombchu. The Bombchu continued its steady march until it finally reached the stone spire and exploded, destroying it completely and blocking the lava flow. "All right! The stone's destroyed!" Link said.

"Head for the exit!" The Hylian Captain said. Impa and the troops ran across and attempted to reach the exit. But they didn't get very far as they were soon surrounded on all sides by Stalchildren and Poes. The troops drew their weapons and prepared to fight. But that's when they started to hear... harp music? Impa and Link looked to a ledge to see a young woman (though her clothing made it hard to tell) playing on a harp that closely resembled the Goddess Harp Zedla had. The only difference was the blue bandage around it. She had blond hair tied into a braid and red eyes, her left eye covered by a bang of hair. She wore a turban and a bandanna to cover her face.

Her outfit consisted of mostly blue and grey clothing. She wore fingerless gloves as well as handwraps on her fingers, wrists, and legs. On her legs, she had several daggers tied to them. Her boots were colored black. But the most surprising feature was the symbol of the Sheikah tribe on her chest. The young woman played a tune on the harp for a bit before she jumped down and struck a few chords on her harp, sending waves of rainbow light that obliterated the Dark Forces. "The princess is not dead." the Sheikah girl said as she approached Link and Zelda. "You'll reunite with her at some point in your journey, but not quite yet."

"What are you talking about?" Link asked. "Do you know where the princess is? And who are you anyway?"

"That shall be revealed in time." she replied. "But as for your second question, you may call me Sheik."

"What kind of name is Sheik?" Link asked.

"It is a name that comes from the Sheikah tribe." Sheik explained. "They were servants of the Hyrulean Royal Family." Link was about to ask another question only for Impa to interject. "The Sheikah tribe?" she asked. "That's impossible..." But before the conversation could continue, the caves began to thunderously shake. "We can talk more once we're out of the cave." Sheik said. "For now, allow me to assist you!" Both Link and Impa looked at each other. "We can trust her, right?" Link asked. "She just saved our lives." Impa said. "That, and we don't have much of a choice. Now, head for the tunnels!"

With that, the troops ran into the tunnels just as Wizzro appeared and summoned more monsters. "Forward! Cut them all down!" he cackled. "They're really getting fierce, are they?" Sheik asked. "C'mon, we've got to hurry!" The troops ran down the crystalline tunnels, cutting down monsters as they did. Eventually, they reached the Tunnel Square. Unfortunately, the South Gate was locked and to make matters worse, they were surrounded by more monsters. "There's nowhere for them to run!" Wizzro cackled, his voice echoing throughout the cavern. "Crush them! Beat them! Grind them to dust! Except for the hero. Mistress Cia has plans for him."

"Don't panic guys." Link said. "Clear the keep and the gate might open!" The troops began to battle against the monsters in anyway they could. Link drew his sword and charged into the fray, cutting down the Stalfoses and Stalchildren with ease. Sheik was surrounded by a trio of charging Lizalfoses, but threw a smoke pellet to disappear and evade them. She then reappeared in midair, tossing knives at all of them and killing them instantly. Impa drew her Naginata and conjured a massive fiery dragon which consumed the remaining Dark Forces. With the monsters gone, the troops attempted to open the gates, but to no avail.

"No good!" Proxi said. "The gates won't budge! And there are enemies coming in from the tunnels! I wonder if the Spirit of the Caves is behind all this..."

"Spirit of the Caves?" Link asked.

"Yeah!" Proxi replied. "Eldin Caves is said to be haunted by a spirit. Maybe that's what's controlling the monsters in this place."

"If this 'spirit' is controlling the monsters, then defeating it might open the caves." Sheik said.

"Can you lead us to this spirit?" Impa asked.

"I think I can sense it's presence deep in the tunnels." Proxi said. "I'll give it my best shot."

"Then it's settled." Sheik said. "I'll stay here with the troops and guard the keep. In the meantime, Impa, you and Link find the Spirit of the Caves. Defeating it might be our best bet at getting out of here alive." Link and Impa nodded in agreement. "Follow me." Proxi said as he flew off with Link and Impa in pursuit. As soon as they left, more monsters began to appear. Sheik played the Serenade of Water and summoned a giant torrent of water to drown them all. Some of the Lizalfos troops managed to break through. Sheik played the Prelude to Light and summoned a large light square that trapped them all before blasting them away with a flash of light.

Meanwhile, Proxi continued to guide Link and Impa through the caves in search for the Spirit. The trio navigated the cave's many twists and turns and they eventually reached the bottom of the cave where they saw the Spirit, which turned out to be nothing more than a large Poe. "_That's_ the Spirit of the Caves?" Link asked. "I was expecting something a little more.. intimidating."

"Doesn't matter." Impa replied. "We must defeat it if we want to get out of here!"

"I'm on it!" Link said as he charged at the specter. The Poe teleported away and reappeared to hit Link with its lantern, knocking him away. The ghost then prepared to breathe a torrent of purple flame at Link, but was forced to teleport away again when Impa tried to swipe at it with her Naginata. The Poe swung its lantern and released several purple fireballs at the Sheikah warrior, but Impa jumped out of the way and fired several fireballs from her Naginata, causing several explosions that knocked the lantern out of the ghost's hands. Link recovered and charged at the ghost once more, his blade glowing with blue energy as he bisected the specter. The ghost faded away into nothing.

"Alright!" Proxi said. "Now we can get out of the caves!"

"Good. Now, let's meet up with Sheik." Link said. The three ran back to the Tunnel Square and found the gate open. "I see you were successful." Sheik said. "Yep! We'll be out of the caves in no time!" Link replied. "Sheik, come with us." Impa said. "I don't know who you are, but we could definitely use your help." Sheik gave a low bow. "I'll help however I can." she replied. And the three of them ran out the keep with the troops following close behind. It seemed like they would be leaving the caves shortly, but they soon found the exit blocked by two more giant stone spires. "Drat! More stones in our way!" Proxi said.

"Ready for some Goron assistance?" A Goron Captain said as he summoned another Bombchu. "Alright!" Link exclaimed. "Let's blow open that stone and head on out!"

"Uh-oh... That's a problem." The Goron captain said. "There are two stone spires. One Bombchu won't be enough. But luckily we came prepared! There should be a spare Bombchu somewhere in this area."

"I'll seek it out." Impa said. "The rest of you stay here and guard the Bombchu." With that, Impa ran off in search of the Bombchu. Her search was not long for she soon saw a Bombchu guarded by monsters in Central Square. The Sheikah leapt into the keep and fought off the monsters. Focusing her Naginata's fire magic, she created a large red magic circle in the center of the keep to draw enemies into it. The circle then created several large Naginata blades before slashing the enemies within the circle, killing them all. With them gone, the keep opened up and the Bombchu began to move towards the stones. At that point, the Goron Captain saw the Bombchu and launched the other one.

"Alright! Launching two Bombchus!" The captain said. "It's a straight line to the stones!" Just as the Bombchus began their journey, Wizzro and the Dark Forces appeared. "Always something in my way..." He muttered. "I'll smash those rats myself if I have to! Attack!" Wizzro and the monsters charged at the two Bombchus. "Oh, no! We're all out of spare Bombchus." The Goron Captain said. "It's all over if they get destroyed!"

"Sheik! Link! Defend the Bombchus!" Impa commanded. "I'll deal with Wizzro!" Impa then charged at the sorcerer, using her Naginata to create a wall of flame to separate Wizzro from his troops. "Where is Princess Zelda, sorcerer?!" Impa demanded. "Hmm, maybe I fed her to King Dodongo." Wizzro coyly replied. "Or maybe I had her limbs tied to horses and pulled apart. I've got a bad memory. Hiya ha ha!" Impa growled with anger and leapt at Wizzro. The wizard was too busy laughing to see the enraged Sheikah's attack and Impa slashed him across the chest before kicking him away. Wizzro recovered and sent out dark spirit monsters. They were purple spirits with a single eye and razor sharp teeth. Impa swatted them away and dragged her Naginata along the ground to send a large wave of fire towards Wizzro.

Wizzro teleported out of the way and summoned a giant hand from his chest to grab Impa. He then threw her into a keep. The Sheikah struggled to get to her feet, but Wizzro gathered dark energy around his hands and fired a large beam of dark energy. Impa managed to recover and leapt into the air to avoid it. From above, Impa summoned fiery versions of her Naginata and tossed them at Wizzro. The Naginatas converged on Wizzro and exploded, sending the sorcerer flying. She then summoned a large dragon made of flame and sent it towards Wizzro. The dragon exploded and sent the sorcerer to the ground.

Meanwhile, Link and Sheik were each stationed at a Bombchu and defended it fiercely. With Wizzro too busy fighting Impa to give commands, defeating the Dark Forces was marginally easier. Eventually, the Bombchus reached their destination and destroyed the stone spires. "Awesome! We can get out of the caves!" Link said. He and Sheik ran to Impa, who had Wizzro at her mercy. She pointed her Naginata at Wizzro. "Had enough, sorcerer?" she asked. "Tell me where Princess Zelda is!"

Wizzro growled. "Find her yourself! I'm out of here!" He then sank into the ground like a shadow. "NO!" Impa shouted as she attempted to impale him with her Naginata. "He's gone, Impa. There's nothing more we can do." Link said. "He's right, Impa." Sheik replied. "Come, we must forge on." Impa took a few moments to reign in her temper. "You're right." She said. "Let's go." The three then met up with the rest of the troops and they reached the exit.

"Hey Sheik." Link said. "Thanks for your help. If it wasn't for you, we'd never have gotten out of the cave."

"It was my pleasure." Sheik said.

"Say, how'd you do those tricks with the music?" Link asked. "Think you can teach me those moves?"

"That's what_ I'd_ like to know." Impa said. "The Bolero of Fire, the Serenade of Water, the Song of Storms, the Nocturne of Shadow, the Prelude of Light, and the Minute of Forest. How did you know all these songs? These were songs passed down by those of the Royal Family."

"And the Sheikah are servants of the Royal Family." Sheik replied. "So it would only be natural to be taught the songs don't you think?" Impa narrowed her eyes at Sheik, but before she could say anything more, Link interjected. "It doesn't matter where she learned them from. It matters that she's on our side. Now let's get to Faron Woods and find this woman everyone's talking about. I hope it's Princess Zelda." Link, Sheik and the troops walked through the exit. Impa, meanwhile, continued to glare at Sheik.

"_Is she really on our side?_" She thought to herself.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Meanwhile, outside of Faron Woods...<strong>_

"You _idiot!_" Cia raged at Wizzro who had just reported to her about his failure. "I give you one simple task and you can't even do _that_ right!"

"Sorry, Mistress." Wizzro replied bitterly. "I had to deal with the two Sheikah warriors."

"Wizzro," Cia began. "You're a powerful sorcerer with an inexhaustible army of monsters and you're telling me you can't handle two Sheikah? I would've killed them both and be on my merry way with Link by now."

"Well, if you're so damn powerful, why don't _you_ do it?!" The dark wizard snapped. Cia glared at Wizzro before firing dark lightning form her hand. The wizard screamed in pain as electricity spider-webbed through his body. "Mind your tongue, wizard." Cia coldly reprimanded. "I gave you life, Wizzro. Do you doubt I can easily undo what I created?"

"My... My apologies..." Wizzro struggled to say.

"My apologies _what?_" Cia asked, continuing to torture him with an extra jolt of black lightning.

"My... apologies... Mistress." Wizzro painfully replied.

"Good boy." Cia said as she released her hold on him. "The Hyrulean Army will be heading here soon, so you get a second chance. Destroy them and bring me the hero. Don't fuck this up." With that, she vanished in a flash of purple fire. Wizzro drew several ragged breaths as he tried to stand upright. "Stupid Cia. Stupid Volga. Stupid hero. Stupid everything!" He grumbled to himself. "Sometimes, I think being a mere ring would be much more preferable." He then summoned several Bulbin monsters to his side.

"You heard her, boys." Wizzro said, giving a malevolent smile. "The Hyrulean Army will be here soon... Let's give them one hell of a welcome."

* * *

><p><strong>Next Chapter Preview: The Sorceress of the Woods. Next time on <em>Hyrule Warriors!<em> Link and the troops finally make it to Faron Woods, but the young woman they were searching for turns out not to be Zelda, but rather a young sorceress by the name Lana who shares a bitter rivalry with the witch Cia. Lana enlists their help to defend the forest from the Dark Forces. Who is this woman, and what is her connection to Cia. Find out on the next exciting chapter of _Hyrule Warriors!_**


	4. Chapter 3: The Sorceress of the Woods

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Hyrule Warriors. Link and Impa were rescued from the horrors of Elidn Caves by a mysterious youth named Sheik. With their new ally, the troops escaped the caves and emerged in Faron Woods. There, they saw a village deep in the forest beset by monsters. While they wanted to search for Princess Zelda, they could not ignore the plight of the villagers. Now, the heroes help to defend the village from the Dark Forces.**

It had been three hours since Link and the troops had arrived in Faron Woods. While they were busy searching Princess Zelda, they soon came across a village of Deku Shrub warriors being attacked by Bulbin monsters. Unable to ignore those in need, the troops decided to aid the villagers. Unfortunately for them, it seemed the Bulbins expected them to appear and ambushed them. The Hyrulean Forces so far were putting up a valiant struggle, but the Bulbin forces seemed to have the upper hand. During the fight, one soldier was knocked to the ground by a Bulbin. The creature raised its club and prepared to deal the mortal blow. But just as it did, lightning blasts came out of nowhere, killing the Bulbin and those around it. Some of the others fled in terror.

At that moment, a young girl jumped into the scene and tended to the fallen soldier. Her hand glowed with blue light, a healing spell of sorts. She was a beautiful, fair-skinned young woman with dazzling purple eyes and sky blue hair tied into a ponytail. Her outfit consisted of a blue, midriff baring tube-top with white detached sleeves that had traces of gold on them. On her left shoulder, she wore a mantle and pauldron. She wore white tights with a white skirt decorated with a blue jewel on the belt and her shoes were brown. In her hand, she held a strange burgundy colored book. As she tended to the soldier, she turned to see Link fighting off some of the remaining Bulbins. "You..." she said.

Link and the others finally managed to drive the Bulbins off and walked up to meet the girl. "Are you the one leading these warriors?" Impa asked. The girl helped the soldier onto his feet, where another carried him to safety. "Yes I am." the girl replied.

"You can use magic." Impa said. "Where did you learn your craft?"

"Oh, well... I'm a sorceress." The girl said. "My name's Lana, by the way. You know the one who started this war? Cia? We come from the same magical clan."

"Ah, so that explains it." Impa said. "And what does this 'Cia' want from Hyrule?"

"If you really want to know, I'll tell you." Lana said with a slightly mischievous smile. "But I just have one condition."

"And that would be?" Sheik asked.

"Help me defend the forest." Lana said. "If you do that, I might tell you." Link, Impa, and Sheik looked at each other with a bit of confusion. "Should we trust her?" Impa asked.

"We don't have much choice." Sheik said. "This village is in danger. We can't ignore that."

"Plus, she looks trustworthy to me." Link said.

"You're only saying that because you think she's cute." Impa teased.

"W-What?! No!" Link replied, flustered and blushing fiercely. "I-I'm just saying that we should t-take people at their word is all!" That earned collective laughter from Lana, Sheik, Impa, and Proxi. "Relax, Link. I'm only joking." she chuckled before turning to Lana. "You have our full support."

"Great!" Lana said. "Let's go!"

"Who knew General Impa had a sense of humor?" Proxi said. The four of them then began to move into the center of the village. When they got there, a swarm of Bulbins charged at them, led by Wizzro, who watched from above. "Scatter those Hyruelan pests!" Wizzro commanded. "Exterminate them!"

"Wizzro again." Impa said. "I have a feeling he's going to be a real thorn in our sides."

"So Wizzro's in charge, huh?" Lana asked. "If we defeat him, the monsters might leave."

"You know him?" Sheik asked.

"Yes, but I'll explain later." Lana replied. "For now, let me clear the way." She flipped open her tome and summoned three white, transparent barriers that resembled the cover of her tome. With a gesture, she sent them charging forward like a bulldozer, mowing the Bulbin hordes down. Wizzro glared at the heroes. "This'll teach you!" He snarled as he took a few seeds in his hand and threw them onto the ground. The seeds then sprouted into monstrous blue plants with red, razor-sharp teeth. The plants then began to breath purple mist.

"Oh no! Deku Babas!" Lana exclaimed. "Stay out of the purple mist! Breath it in and you die of poisoning!" Unfortunately for Lana, some of the soldiers heeded her warning too late and accidentally breathed in the mist. They died near instantly. "How do we stop those things if we can't get near them?" Link asked. "You gotta hit it from a distance somehow!" Lana said. "Use this!" she then handed Link a bow and arrow. Link stared at the bow with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong? Ever used one before?" Lana asked.

"Once or twice in archery class." Link replied. "But luckily I'm a fast learner!" Link took the bow and fired arrows at each of the Deku Babas, killing them with surprising accuracy. Sheik helped out as well and threw her knives at the Babas. With the two of them working together, they managed to clear out the Babas in no time. "Alright, that takes care of the poison!" Lana cheered. "Good job!" She then took a moment to observe some of the soldiers. "Everyone's getting tired. Let's retreat into the Deku Tree for a moment."

"Good idea." Sheik said.

"The Deku Tree?" Link asked.

"The guardian of Faron Woods." Lana said. "You've must of heard about it."

"I remember hearing about it in history class, but I kinda fell asleep after awhile."Link sheepishly replied.

"Well congratulations." Lana replied. "You're about to see it first hand." With that, the Hyrulean forces ran toward the tree as Wizzro watched out of sight from above. "They think running to that stumpy little bush will save them, do they? I beg to differ! Gibdo hordes! Arise and slaughter them!" At that point, tall mummies with swords emerged from the ground and sauntered toward the retreating soldiers. "Whoa! What the heck are those things!"

"Gibdos and ReDeads!" Lana replied. "They can paralyze you with a scream. They're heading straight for the Deku Tree! We've got to protect it!"

"I'll hold off the enemies here while you fall back!" Impa said as she leapt into the fray with her Giant Blade. The ReDead Knights let out a paralyzing scream and froze the Sheikah in her tracks, but Impa managed to recover in time and slashed at the undead monsters with blades made of water, killing them with ease. Meanwhile, Link, Sheik, and Lana ran to a giant tree in the center of the forest. What distinguished this tree from the others was the fact that it almost resembled the face of an elderly man with a large nose and a mustache. Link had heard tales of the Deku Tree, but never bothered to remembered them and thought that it was mostly a myth.

Once inside the Deku Tree, the soldiers stopped to catch their breath. But it didn't last long as Lana could make out Gibdo forces advancing from the south of the Deku Tree. "We've got enemies coming from the south!" she said. Sheik ran to the east and found more Gibdos approaching. "Enemies from the north as well!" she said. Link looked to the east and saw another squad of Gibdos. "Some on the east, too!" Link said. "Enemies on all sides!" A soldier said. "The Deku Tree is our base, we must protect it!"

"Let's split up and take them out!" Link said. The three went their respective directions and dealt with the Gibdos while the rest of the troops stayed behind in the Deku Tree. Link went to the east and charged into the Gibdo horde, his blade glowing with blue light as he performed a spin attack to scatter them all. The Gibdos attempted to paralyze him with their screams, but Link tossed several bombs at them. He then took out his Magic Rod and leapt into the air to deliver more furious midair slashes with the Rod's ax form before he finished them off with a large fireball. When he landed on the ground, he saw more Gibdos charging after him. He took out his Gauntlets and smashed the ground, causing a tremendous shockwave that knocked them off the branch. "Eastside's clear!" Link said.

Lana was busy fighting off the Gibdos coming from the south. Flipping open her tome, she summoned two rows of three barriers. With incredible acrobatics, the sorceress jumped between each one, going over the Gibdo horde and landing on the other side. With a gesture, she commanded the barriers to explode, damaging the undead beasts with the shrapnel. Another horde attempted to charge at her, but Lana merely summoned three more barriers and sent them flying at the Gibdos like discs. She then gathered a large ball of electricity and leapt into the air before firing it down on the remaining Gibdos. "Southside's Gibdo free!" she cheered.

Sheik, meanwhile, was clearing out Gibdos from the north. Using her skilled martial arts moves, she easily outmaneuvered and fought her way through the horde. She took out her harp and began to play a tune as ghostly harps surrounded her and the Gibdos. The harps then began to release rays of pure light that defeated them all with ease. More Gibdos emerged and attempted to attack her, but the Sheikah played the Bolero of Fire and summoned a large meteor to finish them off. "The north has been purged." she said. Sheik then ran back to the Deku Tree to meet up with Link, Impa, and Lana, who had just finished clearing their sections.

"Mission accomplished." Impa said. "The forest is now cleared of Gibdos."

"Great!" Lana cheered. "At this rate, we'll have the forest safe in no time!"

"Enjoy your little successes, weasels!" Wizzro snarled, glaring at the group. "My next plan will see your hopes burn to ashes!" His ring began to glow as he pointed it at the Deku Tree. At that point a fireball shot out of the ring and began to set the Deku Tree ablaze! The fire quickly spread and the Deku Tree suddenly came to life and began to groan in pain. "Oh no!" Lana screamed. "The Deku Tree's in danger! Help me put out the fire!" Impa and Sheik immediately went to work. Impa fired water from the palms of her hands while Sheik played the Serenade of Water and summoned a stream of water from her harp in an attempt to quench the flames. But for every ember they extinguished, more rose to take their place.

Link and the other soldiers did what they could to stop the flames. Buckets of water were passed out frequently. Link himself tried to put out the flames with his Gauntlets, but to no avail. It seemed all they were doing was prolonging their suffering. "You'll _never_ put out that fire!" Wizzro cackled insanely. "I'll see you all burn to a crisp! Yes, this is beautiful! Crush them!" He then summoned more Gibdos to attack the soldiers before teleporting away. Link and Lana saw the approaching horde and tried to fend them off as best they could. "This is getting nowhere!" Lana said. "We've got to help the Deku Tree!"

"Well, if you've got any ideas, I'm all ears!" Link replied.

"Link! Lana!" Proxi said. "I think I can sense the presence of a Great Fairy somewhere in the forest."

"That's right!" Lana replied. "There's a Fairy Fountain in Faron Woods! I know where it is! The Great Fairy can definitely help us!"

"Go! I'll cover you!" Link said. Lana nodded in reply and ran through the forest, cutting down legions of Bulbins and Gibdos as she desperately searched for the Fairy Fountain. "Where is it?" She said. "It has to be somewhere!" She continued her search, hoping she would be able to find the Great Fairy before the Deku Tree and the forest was burned to the ground. Eventually she finally came across the doors to the Fairy Fountain. She ran into the doors and used her tome to form a Magic Circle. "Great Fairy! We need your help!" Lana pleaded. "The Deku Tree and Faron Woods are in danger! Help us defend the forest!"

At that moment, the Great Fairy emerged in all her glory. "Yes, Lana." She began. "I've seen the destruction that has been wrought on the forest. Shameful really. Some people really have no appreciation for nature. But a little rain must fall in everyone's life. And so to must a we put a damper on their plans!" With a playful giggle, she snapped her fingers. Lana ran outside to see clouds gathering above the forest. A loud clap of thunder roared before it began to rain. A downpour of rain fell on the Deku Tree, quenching the fires instantly. The soldiers cheered as the miracle took place, their morale greatly improved by the safety of their base.

"What idiot let them talk to the Great Fairy?!" Wizzro asked, irritated. "That plan was _perfect!_ Oh well, time to improvise." His ring began to glow once more as dark energy enveloped him. His shape then began to distort until he soon took the form of one of the Hylian Captains. Wizzro then walked up to the gang just as Lana returned. "To think they would stoop so low and attack the Deku Tree." She growled. "Unforgivable! We should find that wizard and put a stop to him!"

"Indeed." Impa replied. "He must know where Princess Zelda is. I'll beat the information out of him if I must!"

"And you might just get your chance!" The disguised Wizzro said. "We've managed to corner the enemy wizard at his base! Come with me, I'll show you where!" Wizzro went on ahead as Link and the rest of the troops followed him all the way to the edge of the forest where the Enemy Base was. But when they got there, the captain was nowhere to be found. It's as if he disappeared from sight. "Where'd he go?" Impa asked. "It's as if he disappeared."

"He was just ahead of us." Lana said. "How did he slip by without us noticing?"

"More importantly..." Sheik began. "Where is Wizzro? He said he had him cornered." But before they could discuss it further. An arrow shot out from nowhere. The three turned to see Link aiming his bow and arrow at them. But oddly, a dark aura surrounded him and his expression was twisted in obvious pain. "Link!" Impa shouted. "This is no time for jollity!" Link, however, prepared another arrow. "Put the bow down! That's an order!" Impa commanded.

"Wait! Something's wrong." Sheik said. "I don't think he's doing this of his own volition."

"She's right." Lana said. "Something's controlling him!"

"Can't... fight it." Link struggled to say. "Next one might not miss!" He then fired another arrow, only for Impa to block it. "We must break this hold over him!" she said. "Allow me." Sheik replied as she charged at Link. Link fired a salvo of arrows at the Sheikah, but she skillfully dodged each one and used a smoke pellet to disappear from sight. She then reappeared above and behind Link. The soldier drew his blade, but Sheik quickly grabbed his arm and delivered several quick jabs, causing it to go limp. He tried to punch Sheik with the other arm, only for her to grab it and deliver more quick jabs, disabling it as well. Sheik then delivered a powerful kick to the back of his head, sending him to the ground and knocking him out cold.

"I'll apologize later." Sheik said.

"Wow, that was kinda harsh don't you think?" Lana asked.

"It had to be done." Sheik replied. "But don't worry, he'll recover in a few hours."

"That was a Sheikah nerve technique, was it not?" Impa asked.

"Yes, it was." Sheik replied.

"That is quite an advanced technique." Impa said. "Not many Sheikah have mastered it. Did someone teach it to you?"

"Yes. You did." Sheik said.

"But how?" Impa asked. "We've never met before."

"That will be revealed in time." Sheik replied. As the two Sheikah continued their conversation, Lana began to sense an evil presence in the area. Focusing on the presence, Lana gathered a ball of lightning in her hand and tossed it in the direction of the evil presence. The blast hit its mark and the presence was revealed to be Wizzro. Wizzro screamed in pain and fell to the ground as the electricity spider-webbed through his body. Sheik and Impa stopped their conversation and with Lana, cornered the dark sorcerer. "No more running, Wizard!" Impa said, pointing her Giant Blade at him. "Tell us where the princess is,** _now!_**"

"I'd listen to her." Lana said. "You've nowhere to run!"

"Hmm, this _is_ a rather sticky situation." Wizzro mused. "How best to dispose of them? Oh, what if I had_ it_ kill them? That's so naughty! I love it!" The wizard cackled as he sank into the ground just as Lana tossed another blast of lightning at him. "Damn it!" Impa cursed. "He got away."

"I'm more worried about what he met by 'it'." Lana said. Before they could say anything else, a large portal opened above them and down dropped a large spider-like creature. The spider had the body shape of a brown crab with eight long legs. Its front two legs had metal appendages on them that resembled makeshift shields. Its other two frontal legs had large metal blades on them. The spider's most noticeable feature was the red, bloodshot eye.

"Whoa! Look at the size of that thing!" Proxi yelled.

"Hiya ha ha!" Wizzro cackled! "It's dinner time, Gohma! Bon Appetit!" Gohma let out a screech and spat a glob of acid at the soldiers. Most of them managed to dodge in time, but one was hit directly by the acid and horrifically dissolved into nothing with an agonized scream. The creature raised one of its bladed legs and swiped at a group of soldiers. "We've got to stop that thing!" Lana shouted as she fired an orb of electricity at it. Gohma used its shield to block, then tried to swat her away only for the sorceress to backflip out of the way. Impa leapt into the air and attempted to slash at it with her Giant Blade, but Gohma fired a blast of electricity from its eye and knocked her to the ground. It then tried to impale her with its blade, only for Sheik to teleport her and Impa out of reach.

"This is getting nowhere!" Sheik said. That thing's shield is too strong. We need to find a weak point."

"Hmm, it seems pretty protective of that eye." Lana said. "Maybe that might work."

"The hard part is getting it to hold still." Impa said as she got to her feet. "We need to stun it first." The three didn't have much time to discuss further as Gohma fired a sweeping laser from its eye. The three managed to avoid it, and noticed Gohma's eye go from red to blue. Seeing the chance, Shiek tossed a few daggers into its eye. The creature screeched in pain as it fell over. "Now's our chance! Attack!" Sheik said. The three then vigorously attacked Gohma's eye. Sheik used her kunai, Impa used her Giant Blade, and Lana attacked by slashing the beast with pages from her tome.

Eventually, the arachnid manged to recover and spun around to swat them away. Before they could do anything, Gohma jumped into the trees to make an escape. "It's getting away!" Lana shouted. "After it!" The three of them chased the arachnid across the forest into another keep. "We've got it trapped! Let's finish it!" Impa said. Gohma began to fire another beam from its eye. That's gave Lana an idea. Lana created one of her barriers and used it to reflect the insect's beam. She carefully guided it towards the monster's shielded appendages, cutting them off. With a pained and enraged screech, Gohma began to charge up a blast of electricity.

Impa saw what it meant to do and quickly tossed her Giant Blade at the monster's eye, interrupting the attack. Lana and Sheik saw their chance and both fired lightning magic at the Giant Blade lodged in Gohma's eye, using it as a lightning rod to severely electrocute the creature. Gohma writhed in total agony before falling to the ground and exploding into black particles. Impa picked up her blade and sheathed it back. "I had hoped Princess Zelda would be here, but apparently that hope was in vain." Impa mused. "Where could she be? May the goddesses protect her..."

"Don't worry, Impa." Lana said. "I'm sure you'll find her."

"I pray your right." Impa replied. "Regardless, we had a deal. We helped you defend the forest, now you must tell us about Cia."

"Right." Lana said. "But let's get back to Link and the Deku Tree and help clean up the village. This is something you all need to hear."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hours later, at the Deku Tree...<strong>_

It was evening time when Link slowly began to awaken. It seemed Sheik had hit him harder than she thought as he was out for seven hours. In that time, Lana, Impa, and Sheik helped the Deku Scrubs repair the village. Link awoke to find Sheik kneeling over him. "Oh, good. You're awake." she said. "Just in time too. Lana was about to tell us about Cia. How do you feel? You should be getting some movement in your arms again." Link slowly moved his arms to confirm this and then lightly clutched his head. "It's not my arms, it's my head." Link groaned. "What the hell? Did you hit me with a frying pan or something?"

"Actually, I smashed it against the ground." Sheik said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You were under Wizzro's control. It was the only way to stop you. Now come on." Both Sheik and Link walked to the center of the Deku Tree, where Impa and Lana were gathered around a small campfire. "So, Lana. Tell us about Cia." Impa said. "What's your connection to her?"

"Well, it's best to start from the beginning." Lana began. "Like I said. We come from a magic clan called the Time Gazers, a clan of witches with the ability to manipulate space-time. Every generation, when a member of our clan came of age, she would be chosen to be the next Guardian of Time. Her task would be to maintain the balance of the Triforce and watch over the different eras of time. The only rule: To watch, never to interfere. Cia was the next chosen guardian and she did her job well. But everything changed the day she saw... you, Link."

"Me?" Link asked, pointing a finger to himself.

"Yes, you." Lana said. "Or rather, the Spirit of the Hero. As you bear the Triforce of Courage. In each era, you would be reincarnated whenever evil arose to threaten the land of Hyrule. Cia instantly fell in love with you even though she could plainly see that you were tied to another: Zelda. As you bore the Triforce of Courage, she bore the Triforce of Wisdom and like you, she too was eternally reincarnated to aid the hero in his fight. But Cia didn't care. All she could see was a soul unlike any she had encountered before."

"Wow..." Link trailed off. "I've always fancied myself a ladies man, but this is taking it a bit too far." Impa elbowed him in the shoulder in response. "Link, be serious." she scolded before turning to Lana. "Please, continue."

"Anyway," Lana continued. "That's when something even worse happened. A piece of an ancient evil, sealed away long ago, managed to worm its way into her heart. It promised her the power to take whatever her heart desires. It pushed the light out of her and warped her curiosity into insane obsession and jealousy. Of course, this evil had its own plans. It wanted the Triforce to restore itself and was merely using Cia as a pawn. Her heart now darkened and corrupted, Cia opened the Gate of Souls, a forbidden type of time magic. A doorway of time itself. With it, she summoned monsters from countless ages to attack Hyrule. She wants the Triforce to take over Hyrule, but most importantly, she wants _you_, Link. And she'll tear Hyrule apart to succeed. I want to help stop her, and hopefully save her from the darkness within her."

"Ah, jealousy. One of the Seven Deadly Sins." Sheik said. "But who are her two cohorts, Volga and Wizzro?"

"Volga is actually a fire dragon who can turn into a human." Lana said. "He's the reincarnation of the legendary dragon Volvagia, who was defeated by the Hero of Time. When Cia first met him, he didn't want anything to do with humans and their wars. But Cia brainwashed him into desiring nothing more than to fight worthy opponents. So now he charges into battle, always ready for a fight."

"I know that from experience." Link said. "Nearly got roasted alive. But what about Wizzro?"

"Wizzro is a more... creepy case." Lana said. "He was once a ring that was used by a dark tribe in their ancient hexing rituals. Whoever wore the ring would be given powerful dark magic, but would also have their soul taken. Over countless centuries, Wizzro began absorbing the souls of anyone who wore him, growing more powerful and sentient. He was sealed away in the Eldin Caves by the Gorons until Cia came along and used her magic to incarnate him into the form you see today. While he's loyal to Cia, it's only because she's the most powerful being he's met. When he finds someone stronger, he latches on to them."

"To cause so much destruction for something so petty..." Impa trailed off. "Do you know where Cia is now?"

"Yes." Lana replied. "The Valley of Seers. It's just a little beyond the forest."

"Good, then the four of us should-"

"Remain here and rest." A booming voice interrupted. Everyone but Link, who was looking everywhere else, looked up at the Deku Tree. "Great Deku Tree, were you listening to us?" Lana asked.

"Wait, it _talks?!_" Link asked, flabbergasted.

"Well, yeah." Lana replied. "The Deku Tree is the guardian of the forest. Of course it talks. Everyone knows that."

"Well, I sure as hell didn't." Link muttered to himself.

"I can talk." The Deku Tree said. "And I can listen as well. You've all been on a perilous journey thus, and I foresee many more dangers to come. It would be wise for you to rest for tonight. My people haven't much to offer, but at the least, they can offer their hospitality. It's the least we can do after you risked your life for me and my people."

"The Deku Tree has a point." Sheik said. "Everyone is exhausted from the trip and today's events. A good night's sleep wouldn't hurt."

"You're right." Impa said. "Let's rest for tonight. Tomorrow, we move out to the Valley of Seers." Link, Sheik, and Lana all nodded in agreement and the four went to sleep for the night.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Meanwhile, in the Temple of Souls...<strong>_

Oh, how Wizzro hated working for Cia sometimes! That's twice he managed to bungle up capturing the hero and now he had to do the harder part: Reporting to Cia and figuring out a decent excuse. "Stupid witch and her stupid hero." he muttered. "If she thinks I'm taking the fall for this, she's got another thing coming. I'll just tell her off. Yeah! That's it! I'm not going to be blamed for this again!" He finally reached Cia's chambers and opened the door... only to let out a startled yelp and cover his eye when he found the sorceress in a bathtub.

"Sorry!" he shouted. "I came at a bad time, I'll come back later!"

"Oh relax, Wizzro." Cia replied, not looking at him. "I highly doubt seeing me in a bathtub will scar you for life. What is it?" Did you capture the hero?"

"Right, about that..." Wizzro began. "Regrettably, my little campaign at Faron Woods... failed. B-but it was hardly my fault! It was that damn Lana! She interfered with everything!"

"Lana?" Cia asked. "What's that worthless bitch doing with the Hyrulean Forces?"

"She's working with them." Wizzro replied. "They're on their way to the Valley of Seers."

"Really?" Cia asked, intrigued. "Well, the game is now far more interesting."

"Wait, you're... not mad?" Wizzro asked.

"No!" Cia cheerfully replied. "You see, my precocious little psychopath, you have brought the Hero and his Triforce piece right to my doorstep. And with the Triforce of Power, that makes two pieces. All we need is the Triforce of Wisdom and that's all three pieces! By the by, have you found Princess Zelda yet?"

"Not yet." Wizzro said.

"Well, what are you talking to me for?! Find her at once!" Cia demanded. "And tell Volga to ready the troops. We must give our guests a warm reception." Wizzro nodded in agreement and left the room. Once he was gone, Cia summoned her crystal ball and looked at the image of a sleeping Link.

"Like a moth to the flame, you come running to me, my beloved." she cooed. "At last, after years of silently admiring you from afar, we finally meet face-to-face. Oh, I can hardly contain my excitement! I just hope that you'll be as excited to see me, Link. And I also hope you have the experience to extinguish the raging fire of passion within me. Sleep tight, my adorable hero. Tomorrow... you'll be mine for the taking." She gave the crystal ball a kiss before lounging in her bathtub.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Chapter Preview: The Sorceress of the Valley. On the next chapter of <em>Hyrule Warriors<em>, Link and the others head to the Valley of Seers in hopes of defeating Cia and closing the Gate of Souls. Unfortunately for them, the sorceress is waiting for them with a plan of her own and more surprises await our heroes. Will they be able to stop Cia? Find out on the next chapter of _Hyrule Warriors_.**

**OOC: My apologies if these chapters are coming at a snail's pace. It's just that they take longer to write than I had anticipated. **


	5. Chapter 4: The Sorceress of the Valley

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Hyrule Warriors. Link and the troops managed to reach Faron Woods, but found to their disappointment that the leader of the resistance was not Zelda, but rather a young sorceress named Lana. The troops helped Lana defend the forest from Wizzro and his monsters. Afterwards, Lana told them of her origin. She and Cia were from the same magical clan. Cia was once the Guardian of Time, but became corrupted by a dark force when she fell in love with the Spirit of the Hero, which led her to attack Hyrule. Now the heroes travel with their new ally to the Valley of Seers to close the Gate of Souls and stop the bloodshed.**

**OOC: Just a quick announcement. Okay, so the Master Quest DLC is out and it comes with a side story for Cia, Wizzro, and Volga. With that in mind, I decided to include the last three parts of the story in, though I should say they will be a bit altered. I can't do the first two since I already started the story. Please continue to enjoy. **

Two weeks had past since Link and the troops met Lana. Although the monsters had been cleansed out of Faron Woods, Cia still controlled most of Hyrule. Every day, more creatures appeared and swarmed the land. Link and Impa fought on against the darkness, sorely missing Zelda's leadership. Only one solution remained: To stem the tide of monsters at its source by closing the Gate of Souls. And that is what brings the heroes here to the Valley of Seers. It was a mountainous, rocky region that also held some abandoned ruins. It was a perilous journey, but the heroes made it to the Valley of Seers.

"We're finally here, guys." Lana said.

"So this is the Valley of Seers, huh? Looks... homey enough." Link said.

"In a mountainous region like this, the enemy could be anywhere." Impa said. "Everyone be on guard."

"Does Cia even know we're coming?" Link asked. At that moment, the air was pierced by the sound of a female's laughter that seemingly echoed all throughout the valley. "Cia!" Lana shouted. "Guess that answers your question." Sheik said. "_Ooh, has the hero come to see me at last?_" Cia mockingly asked. "_Well then, Link, If you want me. Come and get me! I'm at the top of the ruins if you want to visit. Don't keep me waiting, darling_..."

"Well, that saves us the trouble of finding her." Link said. "So, what are we waiting for?"

"Hold it." Impa asked. "Why would Cia just casually give away her location like that. From a strategic viewpoint, it doesn't make sense."

"This is obviously a ploy to lure us into a trap." Sheik said. "Perhaps we should think this through a bit."

"There's no time for that." Lana said. "If we want to stop Cia, we might as well do it now."

"Hmm, well, if we take the ruin keeps, it should give our forces a foothold into the enemy base." Sheik said.

"Good idea!" Lana replied. "We can cover more ground if we split into two groups. Who's with me?"

"Impa and I will attack from the east." Sheik said. "That leaves the west to you and Link!"

"_Can Sheik really be trusted?_" Impa thought to herself.

"That's good with me!" Lana said. "But first, everyone take these." Lana began to conjure four orbs of blue light which condensed into small stone necklaces. She then handed one to each of them. "What are these things?" Link asked as he curiously stared at the stone in his hand. "These are called Gossip Stones." Lana replied. We can use them to communicate with each other. So, we all know the plan, now let's get to it!" And with that, the troops split into two groups. Lana and Link went to the west and Impa and Sheik went to the east

The two Sheikah traveled to the East Keep, but soon came into a fork in the road. "The road branches from here." Sheik said. The two, however, didn't have long to discuss it as the Dragon Knight Volga appeared with a horde of Lizalfos, Aerialfos, and Dinolfos. "Apologies Sheik." Impa began. "But I think I will be needed more elsewhere. You're on your own." She and some of the troops marched toward the Lizalfos horde. "Impa wait!" Shiek implored. "We need to take the keeps!"

"I know." Impa replied. "We'll distract Volga so you can take the keeps!" Impa and the troops ran toward the Lizalfos horde. "Stubborn..." Sheik said to herself before ordering her troops to follow her to the eastern keeps. Volga watched as Impa and her troops ran towards him with an amused smirk. "Hmph. Fresh meat for the grinder." he said. "Come, my brothers! Slay them all!" Volga summoned his spear and charged into the group of soldiers with the Lizalfos following him, letting out a tremendous war cry.

Seeing Impa, he leapt into the air and tried to strike from above, but Impa drew her blade and blocked his attack. Volga spew at torrent a fire at her, but Impa summoned a wall of water to create a smokescreen when the flame hit. Impa used the smokescreen to her advantage and slashed at Volga from behind, cutting him clean across the back. Volga shouted in pain and backhanded Impa clean across the face, knocking her to the ground. He then leapt into the air again and tried to impale her on his spear only for Impa to roll out of the way.

"I've heard that Sheikah are supposed to be skilled warriors." Volga snorted. "Do try not to disappoint, woman."

"I'll do my best to impress, barbarian." Impa retorted as the two warriors charged at one another again to continue their battle.

Meanwhile, Link and Lana had just managed to take the West Keep. With their combined teamwork, it was a relatively simple manner. The two were about to make their way to the West Temple, but first decided to check on their companions. Lana pulled out her Gossip Stone and spoke through it. "Impa, Sheik. How are you guys holding up?" she asked.

"Not so good." Impa replied. "The Dragon Knight is here and he's hitting hard. Regrettably, I've bit off more than I can chew. Some help would be appreciated."

"Sheik, can you get to Impa?" Lana asked.

"Afraid not." Sheik replied. "The enemies have me pinned down at the East Temple. Someone needs to assist Impa!"

"I'll go!" Link said as he began to run off, only for Lana to stop him. "No, you won't make it in time." she said. "I'll go. You need to stay and focus on taking the West Temple."

"Okay." Link said. "Just be careful, Volga's strong."

"Don't worry, I will." Lana said. She then summoned a small blue device that resembled two spinning cogs. She threw the device on the ground and it formed a portal which Lana promptly jumped through. Once she was gone, Link turned to the troops. "You heard her boys!" Link said. "Let's get to work!" The troops then charged toward the West Temple and began clearing it of monsters.

Impa continued her battle with Volga, a battle that was falling decisively out of her favor. Volga was simply just too strong. The dragon knight knocked the Sheikah to the ground and stood over her with his arms folded across his chest. His expression was one of deep irritation. "Pathetic." He sneered. "You're no fun. And the rest of you vermin barely qualify as exercise. Don't you have a stronger warrior for me to duel?" Impa tried to get to her feet and reach for her Blade.

"Hmph. Here is your punishment for disappointing me." he snarled as he raised his hand and created a large fireball, ready to deal the final blow. But before he or Impa could do anything, a blue portal appeared in front of him and out jumped Lana, who delivered a lightning-enhanced kick to the dragon's face. Caught off guard by the sudden kick, Volga was sent reeling. Lana then cast a healing spell on Impa, restoring the Sheikah to full strength. "You okay, Impa?" she asked.

"Yes, thanks to you." Impa said. "Let's take him together!"

"You?!" he shouted when he righted himself, summoning his spear once again.

"Surprised to see me?" Lana asked.

'Hardly." Volga replied. "But maybe you can stave off my boredom. Have at thee!" Volga charged at the two female warriors. Lana drew out her Deku Staff, a gift she received from the Great Deku Tree, and fired some seeds at Volga as Impa dragged her sword along the ground and sent a wave of water towards him. Volga performed a frontal spin with his spear to block the seeds, then leapt into the air to avoid the wave. The moment he did, however, Lana used her spear to grab his ankle and pull him to the ground.

Impa saw the opportunity and slashed at Volga with several blades made of water, staggering the knight. Lana charged at him and delivered several hits with her Deku Staff before Impa summoned a waterspout to knock him into the air. Lana then stabbed the waterspout with her Deku Staff, causing the water to freeze into ice with Volga trapped on it. The sorceress then shattered the ice pillar and sent Volga flying. Lana pulled out her Summoning Gate and formed a portal on the ground. Impa jumped into it and was teleported above Volga, where she delivered a powerful kick to his head.

Lana, meanwhile, turned her staff into a large slingshot and fired a large Deku Nut at Volga. The nut exploded and Volga was sent barreling towards the ground. Lana summoned her tome and erected an electrified barrier behind Volga, magnetizing him to it and electrocuting him. Lana then charged at the Dragon Knight with her hand charged with lightning and punched Volga with tremendous force, shattering the barrier in the process and injuring nearby Lizalfos. Volga attempted to stand to his feet, but fell over, exhausted from his injuries.

"Driven to my knees by mere females... amusing how they always seem to get the better of me in a fight." Volga muttered.

"Ugh, evil _and_ sexist." Lana said.

"I rarely underestimate my foes. It shall not happen again." Volga then sprouted dragon wings on his back and rose into the air. "Give your precious hero a message for me. Tell him to fight his own battles rather than relying on his friends." And with that, Volga flew away from the line of battle. "_Why don't you cool down?_" Cia asked with annoyance. "_It's embarrassing to see you talk so big and perform so poorly_." With Volga gone, Lana went to Impa. "Thanks for your assistance." Impa said.

"It was my pleasure." Lana replied. "Now let's take the East Temple." The two then made their way to the East Temple where Sheik had just finished clearing the temple of monsters. "Ah, it's nice to see you're alright, Impa." Sheik said. "You're both just in time. I've just cleansed the evil out of this temple." Lana then pulled out her Gossip Stone to talk to Link. "Link, how's the West Temple?" she asked. "West temple's monster free!" Link replied. "I'm heading over to the ruins now."

"Great, we'll meet you there." Lana said. The three of them ran back to the entrance of the ruins and met up with Link, but before they could go any further, they saw that the entrance was blocked by vines. Link tried to cut the vines down with his blade but they instantly grew back. "Looks like we're stuck until we can find a way to get rid of those vines."

"_Come now!_" Cia teased. "_I don't like people dawdling at my doorstep! You want a welcoming party? Fine!_" At that point, more of the Dark Forces began advancing from the west. "We need to find another way around." Lana said. "How about we lower the bridge in the east?" Proxi asked. "I saw it when I went ahead to scout the area."

"Great idea!" Lana replied.

"I can help with that!" A soldier said as he walked toward the gang. "I'm from the Hyrulean Engineering Corps! Bridges are my specialty!"

"Excellent." Sheik said. "I'll head to the west and keep the enemy at bay. Use that time to get the bridge down!"

"_Why go that far?_" Impa thought to herself. "In that case, I'll hold the center."

"And Lana and I will cover the Engineer while he makes his way to the bridge." Link said. "Let's go!" The three of them made their way eastward, but they soon came across another horde of the Dark Forces. "_I don't know what you're planning, but whatever it may be, I'll have a counterstrategy!_" Cia declared. The engineer drew his sword and shield. "Don't worry, we've got this!" Lana said as she took out her Deku Staff and planted it into the ground, creating a wave of ice that froze the monsters. Link then took out his gauntlets and gave a loud clap, the soundwaves were strong enough to shatter the frozen monsters.

With the path clear, The trio continued on their path to the bridge. More monsters tried to stop them, but Lana used her tome to create a large cube, which she then leapt on top of and used it to roll over the monsters like a steamroller. Eventually, they made it to the bridge. The engineer reached into his bag and pulled out two bombs covered in a sticky substance. He threw them both at the ropes holding the bridge up. "Fire in the hole!" he shouted as he and the others ran for cover. The bombs exploded, lowering the bridge.

"And the bridge is down! Hyrulean Engineering Corps here! I'm withdrawing!" The Engineer said as he retreated to the Base. "Great! Let's cross the bridge into the ruins!" Proxi said. Link and Lana crossed the bridge and made it to interior of the Ruins. But at that moment, a Bokoblin with a skull helmet and a horn appeared. The Bokoblin blew the horn and summoned more Bokoblins to the field. "Reinforcements?!" Lana asked. "Is that surprising to you?" Cia mockingly asked. "Just a little clever thinking on my part!"

"The troops and I can hold off the enemies here!" Lana said. "You just get to Cia! Take this!" She then snapped her fingers and a boomerang appeared. "You can use this to cut some of the vines in the ruins. Hurry, go!" Link nodded and ran into the ruins. He soon came across a wall of vines and instinctively threw his boomerang at it, cutting it down. With that obstacle gone, Link made his way into the Eastern Room, only for the doors to close and trap him in it. "It's bad manners not to greet your guests.." Cia said as she summoned more Bokoblins.

Link drew his blade and performed a Spin Attack just as the monsters charged him. He then made short work the rest of the Bokoblins. Link climbed up the stairs and cut down another wall of vines with his boomerang before making his way up to the summit. There he saw the Gate of Souls. It was a large, swirling portal with a purple mass of darkness in the center. From the gate, monsters of various shapes and sizes poured out of it. In the center of it all was the gate's controller. She was a beautiful young woman dressed in scantily clad armor with gold and white accents. She wore a bird shaped mask with red eyes that was akin to those worn at a masquerade ball, covering the majority of her face. Atop her head, she wore a piece that split into two large cones on either side. She wore various jewelry and her left leg was decorated in a red tribal tattoo. This must be Cia.

Cia, for the most part, was busy focusing her magic on the Gate of Souls. When she heard Link's footsteps, however, she immediately turned to face him. A seductive smile spread across her face. "Ah, Link, the great hero." Cia cooed with affection. "We finally meet face-to-face."

"And you must be Cia." Link replied as he drew his blade.

"Ooh! The great hero knows my name!" Cia said as she walked towards him. "It seems my reputation precedes me. Let me get a good look at you." She slowly circled the young soldier, eyeing him like a cat eyes its potential prey. Link was rather put off by the way she looked at him. There was no hate or annoyance. Rather it felt like... lust. Cia then disappeared and reappeared behind him, her hands on his shoulders and her hot breath on his ear, startling the young hero. "Mmm, you're quite easy on the eyes." She whispered huskily. "_Much_ better than the portraits and statues." She slowly and erotically licked the outer shell of her ear. Reflexively, Link performed a spin attack, but Cia teleported out of the way in time.

"Easy there, tiger." Cia giggled playfully. "I know you're eager, but let's stop to get to know each other first before we get to the good part." But then Cia perked up as if she noticed something odd. She outstretched her hand and a small golden triangle appeared. It began glowing brightly when brought in front of Link. "Odd, the Triforce of Power is resonating so powerfully." she muttered. At that moment, Sheik ran to Link's side with her harp in hand. "Link!" she said.

"Glad you made it Sheik." Link said. "Let's take her together!" The two stood ready to face Cia. Cia, however, stood unfazed and merely waved the glowing Triforce around, which seemed to glow even brighter now that Sheik was here. "One... Two.." she muttered, her lips curving into another smile. "Well, this is most certainly welcome news. That Wizzro did even better than I thought. I'll have to reward him sometime..." She then turned back towards the Gate of Souls and focused her magic on it, causing it to glow brightly. "Come forth, servant!" she commanded.

Link and Sheik were about to attack, only to hear a thunderous rumble. The two looked to the bottom of the Ruins to see a large plant-like creature rise from beneath the ground. It's body was metallic and colored purple. It had four heads and each head had a mouth full of blood-red, razor sharp teeth. The heads also seemed to lack any eyes. The plant monster let out an inhuman screech and began attacking the soldiers by spitting seeds from its mouths.

"Meet Manhandla, the Posionous Tree." Cia said. "You might want to attend to that." She then disappeared in a flash of purple flame. "Get back here!" Link shouted as he tried to grab her, only to be stopped by Sheik. "No time for that!" she said. "We must stop Manhandla!" The two then jumped down to assist Impa and the soldiers just as Lana ran to their side. Link and Impa charged at the beast and attempted to slash it with their blades, but the metal coating Manhandla's body protected it from their blows. The monster then smacked Link and Impa away with its heads.

"It's no good." Lana said. "That thing's armor is just too strong!"

"Well what are we supposed to do?" Sheik asked. The creature lined its heads in a row and spat more seeds. Lana summoned four barriers to defend against the seeds. It was at that point, Link noticed the monster's heads had gone from purple to green. Thinking quickly, he took out his boomerang and tossed it at Manhandla, hitting each head and knocking it unconscious. The heads receded into its body and it bloomed open, revealing a large red diamond.

"That must be its core!" Lana shouted. "Now's our chance!" The four of them then attacked Manhandla's jewel. Link slashed at it with his sword, Impa slashed at it with her Naginata, Shiek used her knives, and Lana attacked with pages out of her book. The four relentlessly attacked the beast until it eventually recovered and spun around to knock them aside. It then tunneled underground. "It's getting away!" Impa shouted.

"Proxi! See if you can give us a bird's eye view!" Link said.

"On it!" Proxi said as she flew into the air and surveyed the Valley from above. She then flew back down to the gang. "There are multiple stalks all over the valley! About five to be exact!" she said.

"Don't panic!" Lana said. "If we attack the real stalk, the main body should emerge."

"What is this, Hide and Seek?" Impa growled.

"Let's split up." Sheik said. "We can cover the whole valley this way." The four then spread out across the valley in an attempt to draw the monster out. Link went to the stalk near the ruins and sliced it with his blade, but nothing happened. "Guess it was just a dud." he said. Meanwhile Impa went to the east part of the ruins where she encountered a stalk. Without hesitation, she threw her Naginata at it like a javelin and decapitated it, but nothing happened. "Blast! A fake one!" she cursed. Sheik went to the southeast and spotted another Stalk. She used her Harp and called down a lightning bolt to incinerate the stalk, but with no effect. "It seemed I was misled." she mused.

Lana went to the southwest where she saw one of the stalks. Immediately, she tossed a blast of lightning at it. The stalk screeched in pain as Manhandla's entire body emerged. "Everyone, on me!" Lana said. "I found it!" Link, Impa, and Sheik ran to Lana's position and surrounded Manhandla. "It won't escape this time! We've got it cornered!" Lana said.

"So, let's finish it off this time!" Link replied.

"I have a plan." Sheik said. "Impa, douse Manhandla with water." Impa stared at Sheik with confusion, but then shrugged before firing streams of water from her hands at Manhandla. "Okay, so your plan basically amounts to watering the plant. Nice plan." Impa said sarcastically. "That was just part one." Sheik replied as she played the Song of Storms on her harp and summoned another jolt of lightning. The beast gave another screech as the electricity seared through its body. Manhandla went limp as its metal armor disappeared. Link saw his opportunity and leapt into the air just as Lana used her magic to enhance his sword with lightning. Link then stabbed the monster in its jewel. Manhandla gave one final dying screech as it dissolved into black particles.

"Alright, we've annihilated it!" Lana said. "Cia is next! Let's not waste anymore time!" The four of them ran back to the ruins and made their way to the summit. But when they got there, Cia had vanished, leaving the Gate of Souls unguarded. "Where'd Cia go?" Link asked. "She must have vanished." Impa said. "But it doesn't matter. Let's close the Gate of Souls and stop her from plaguing Hyrule with more demons." Link and Shiek looked at each other and nodded in agreement. The three of them then walked towards the gate, but the moment they stepped forward, a dark magic circle appeared, trapping the three of them. Lana managed to backflip away in time.

Link looked at his hand to see the Triforce of Courage glowing brightly, but then he turned to Sheik to find an even more astonishing sight: On the back of her hand... was the Triforce of Wisdom! Link, Impa, and Lana stared at Sheik with awe. "Sheik! That's-" Lana started to say. But before she could say anymore, The pieces of Wisdom and Courage flew from Sheik and Link's hands and into Cia's clutches. "Link, you truly _are_ the perfect man." she cooed. "The Triforce of Courage _and_ the Triforce of Wisdom? Such thoughtful gifts! And who says men don't know what a woman wants?"

The magic circle disappeared, allowing the three to move freely again. Cia opened her hand and displayed all three Triforce pieces "Now, I have all three pieces." she said as the pieces came together to form the complete Triforce. All Link and the others could do was watch in complete horror. "Behold, the awesome majesty of the complete Triforce!" Cia boasted as she felt herself being infused by the artifact's power, the eyes on her mask glowing red as a dark aura enveloped her.

"Oh no..." Lana trailed off. "Link! Everyone! Run! Fall back!" The four of them ran out of the ruins as more dark energy gathered around Cia. Out of nowhere, a sinister voice chuckled. "_Cia_..." The voice said. "_The time to call the fragments of my spirit is **now**_."

"Yes... I can feel them seeking me out." Cia replied. The sorceress then unleashed a huge wave of dark energy that spread across the valley. Link, Lana, Impa, and Sheik were nearing the entrance of the valley when they saw the wave coming towards them. "Everyone, get close to me!" Lana commanded. "Things are about to get crazy!" Lana tossed her tome into the air, jumped to grab it, then slammed the ground and created a blue barrier just as the wave passed over them. Everyone watched in a mixture of horror and awe as Hyrule itself seemed to twist and distort.

"Lana! What the hell is happening?!" Link frantically asked.

"Let's just say time and reality are about to take an extended vacation!" Lana replied.

"Everyone, look!" Proxi said. Link and the others looked up to the sky and saw a large portal forming, but what was more shocking was that there was a floating island descending into view. But it didn't stop there. To the east, the wave of dark energy swept through, replacing lush grassland with barren, rocky mountain. And in the west, the wave swept through and seemingly revealed a world that looked to be covered in perpetual sunset. Black, square shaped particles rose from the ground. All around the heroes it seemed Hyrule was unraveling at the seams.

Back at the ruins, Cia seemed frozen, overwhelmed by the power of the Triforce. "_Gate of Souls... hear my voice... and open!_" the voice commanded. "My spirit will be freed!" Almost as she she was a puppet manipulated by invisible strings, Cia gathered a ball of dark energy and fired it into a nearby portal, where it split off into three smaller orbs and flew off in different directions. One flew into a temple in a lake and created a Gate of Souls there. The other flew into a palace in a world of shadow and created another Gate of Souls there. And the final one flew into a temple in a dense forest where another Gate of Souls opened there. From all three gates, monsters of every shape and size and from across the ages poured out into Hyrule.

But it wasn't just monsters that were being unleashed. In each place where the Gate of Souls was opened, there was a chest fettered in chains. The chains on each chest broke apart and out from each chest emerged a small orb of dark energy. The three orbs flew from their respective places and headed straight towards Cia. The three pieces circled the sorceress before flying straight into her. Cia groaned and knelled over in pain. "_Excellent work, child_." The voice said. "_Three fragments of my spirit have returned. All that remains is the one piece held by the Master Sword._" Cia rose up and uttered an evil chuckle as she felt herself enveloped with more power.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Meanwhile, at the bottom of the valley...<strong>_

"What did Cia just do?!" Impa asked Lana.

"You remember the legend of the War Across the Ages?" Lana asked. "How the Hero managed to seal away the spirit of an ancient evil by scattering three of its pieces through space time? Cia just used the Triforce to open portals through time to free those pieces. That island in the sky is the Era of The Sky. That land in the east is the Era of the Hero of Time, and the land in the west is the Era of Twilight. Three eras of Hyrule's past."

"The Triforce can do _that?!_" Link asked.

"The Triforce can do _anything_." Lana asked. "Which is why we must get it from Cia! With that much power in her hands, there's no telling what she can do!"

"Right, so what's the first course of action?" Sheik asked.

"Well, our first priority is to close the Gate of Souls in each era." Lana said. "That should stem the tide of monsters pouring into Hyrule."

"Good idea" Impa said. "But I'm still worried about Princess Zelda."

"Don't worry, Impa." Link said. "I'm sure we'll find her. But for now, fixing Hyrule is our top priority. After all, I don't think she'll want to come back to a kingdom in chaos."

"We should split up and take a few of the troops with us." Lana said. "We'll do a lot better that way. I can go to the Era of Twilight alone. Link, can you handle the Era of the Sky?"

"Mom always said I always had my head in the clouds." Link chuckled. "Now, I'm above the clouds."

"Impa and I will go to the Era of the Hero of Time." Sheik said. Impa turned to stare at her with a raised eyebrow for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Okay then!" Lana said. "We all have our assignments. Let's do it!" She then used her tome to open three portals of her own to each era. "Once you've closed a Gate of Souls, use the Gossip stone to report in and I'll send us all back." Lana said. "Good luck, everyone!" With that, they all went through there respective portals in hopes of setting everything right.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Meanwhile, at the Temple of Souls...<strong>_

"Excellent work, Mistress!" Wizzro cheered. Ever since they had left the valley, he had been celebrating Cia's victory. Unfortunately for him, he was the only one celebrating. Volga was in the corner of the room, sharpening his spear and Cia was peering into her crystal ball. "We've got the Triforce in our hands! All of Hyrule is ours for the taking!"

"Don't celebrate just yet, wizard." Volga chided. "The hero and his allies are still out there. As long as they're around, they will continue to oppose us. They are beaten, not broken."

"Indeed." Cia said. "Which is why I have assignments for the two of you." Cia then opened two more time portals behind both Wizzro and Volga. "Volga, Link is headed for Skyloft. I want you to bring him to me..._ alive._"

"Hmph. I'll try." Volga replied. "But I can't guarantee your future mate will be in one piece. I heard he is a great warrior. I wish to test his strength."

"Do what you like." Cia said. "Just make sure the parts I like are left intact." Volga's expression twisted into one of disgust. "Ugh, you humans sicken me so." Without another word, he walked through his portal to Skyloft. Cia then turned to Wizzro. "The two Sheikah are heading to the Era of the Hero of Time. See to it it becomes their tomb."

"With pleasure, Mistress." Wizzro replied. "I'm itching for a rematch."

"I don't think I have to tell you that this is your last chance." Cia said coldly. "One more fuck up and its back to being a ring. Are we clear?" Wizzro gulped and shivered. "D-Don't worry, Mistress." the sorcerer shakily replied. "I-I already have a foolproof plan in the works! You'll see." With that, he quickly flew through his portal. "For your sake, it better be foolproof." Cia muttered as she closed the portals. Now alone, she pulled out the complete Triforce and her crystal ball displayed Link again.

"I finally have all the power in the world." Cia said. "The Triforce is mine to do with as I please. But it's meaningless without someone to share it with. But that will soon change. Don't you see, Link? It's only destiny. You can deny it all you want, but we were _made_ to be together. To rule side by side together forever. I know you don't see it that way, but you'll change your mind soon. Soon you'll realize how wrong you are to continue to be with Zelda. Soon you'll see that we were _meant_ to be together. Soon... you'll belong to me."

She chuckled to herself as she kissed the crystal ball again.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Chapter Preview: The Demon Lord and the Sword Spirit. Next time on <em>Hyrule Warriors!<em> Cia and Volga travel to the Era of the Sky where the residents of Skyloft are in a fierce battle against demonic hordes led by a flamboyant character called the Demon Lord Ghirahim. Hoping to recruit Ghirahim to her army and take control of Skyloft, Cia and Volga attempt to forge an alliance with him. Will they succeed? Find out next time on _Hyrule Warriors!_**


	6. Chapter 5: The Demon Lord

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Hyrule Warriors! Link and the troops took the battle to Cia at the Valley of Seers in hopes of ending the bloodshed. The heroes managed to fight their way through the valley and get to Cia, but the sorceress had laid a trap for them and took the Triforce of Courage from Link, and the Triforce of Wisdom from Sheik. Armed with its incredible might, Cia used it to open rifts to three other eras of Hyrule's storied past and release a fragment of an ancient evil. Lana and the others decided to travel to each era and close the Gate of Souls to set things right with space time.**

**OOC: Okay, a small heads up. I decided to split the Land of the Sky stage into two chapters because if I were to combine them, the chapter would be way too long. This chapter mainly deals with Cia and Volga forming an alliance with Ghirahim from her DLC story. Link's chapter will be next. Apologies to those who were expecting Link's chapter. **

Volga had just arrived in Skyloft only to find that the humans were already engaged in battle with Bokoblins and Moblins. From his vantage point, he, Cia and the army could see the monster's leader. He was a tall man with pale skin and albino, angular hair that covered his left eye and a black diamond-shaped mark under it. His eyes were brown and had purple lines under them. His left ear was round and his right ear was pointed and was adorned with a blue diamond earring. He wore a white bodysuit with diamonds cut out of them, and wore white, elbow-long gloves that also had diamonds cut out of them. Around his right arm, he wore a golden bracelet. Around his waist, he wore a yellow belt with a ruby diamond as the buckle. He also wore a red cloak with a small diamond-patterned chain on the front, and yellow diamond patterns decorating the inside.

"Come now, minions! Step up the slaughter in the name of Lord Ghirahim!" he commanded as he decapitated a soldier charging at him. "The only good human is a dead one!" At Ghirahim's side was a large, six-armed golden statue. In each of its six hands it held an equally large scimitar. It's arms and legs looked to be held together by some form of dark liquid. The Skyloftian soldiers tried their best to fend off the colossus, but were hopelessly outmatched by its strength and quickly knocked aside.

"That appears to be the leader of the demon horde." Volga told Cia.

"Yes. That must be the power I sensed earlier." Cia replied. "He would make a fine general for the army. How I'd love to tame him."

"All he needs is a bit of convincing." Volga said as he sprouted dragon wings, ready to fly into the battle until Cia stopped him. "No. The demon isn't much of a threat, but that overgrown toy of his looks to be too much of a handful, even for me."

"So what's the plan?" Volga asked.

"We'll require help to defeat that statue." Cia said. "It seems we will need to enlist the aid of the humans of this land."

"_What?!_" Volga shrieked, his body bursting in flames. "Work with human scum?! Out of the question!" Cia shot him a glare and fired dark lightning from her scepter. The dragon knight screamed in pain as the dark energy seared him. "I'm sorry, _who's_ the leader of this army?" Cia asked.

"You are..." Volga said with gritted teeth.

"And _who's_ the mistress here?" Cia asked as she upped the voltage.

"You... are..." Volga painfully replied.

"Good to know your memory's working." Cia said. "Now, if there are no further interruptions or objections, let's go." Cia flew off into the battlefield. Volga took a moment to recover, then gave a low growl of disgust before sprouting dragon wings and flying after Cia with the rest of the Lizalfos army following suite. The golden statue and the Bokoblin army had cornered some of the human army. Ghirahim stood next to the statue, his lips curled into a sadistic smile.

"Oh, it warms my heart to see you humans so frightened!" He said as he licked his lips. "The look of terror on your faces is nothing short of exquisite! I wonder how many other faces you'll show me before you die. Let's find out! Kolokotos, slay them all!" Kolokotos raised its massive scimitar and prepared to deal the final blow to the soldiers. The frightened warriors closed their eyes and accepted their fate. But then something happened. Kolokotos seemingly froze. At that moment, the dark liquid composing its body began to drain out of it. Without the dark liquid to hold its body together, Kolokotos fell to pieces on the ground.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Ghirahim asked. "Get up you mechanical moron! Kill!" But before he could do anything else, Ghriahim backflipped to dodge an incoming fireball. The Demon Lord turned to the direction the fireball was thrown and glared hatefully at Volga and Cia. "Who are you guys?" One of the soldiers asked. "I am Volga, the dragon knight." Volga replied. "And this is Mistress Cia. We've come to, _ugh_... aid your cause. Together we will make short work of these demons."

"Thank you! We'll take all the help we can get!" The solider said.

"Just one thing. Who's the leader of your army?" Cia asked.

"That would be me." A voice said. At that point a young girl floated down. The girl had blue skin and seemed to be made out of metal. Her clothing consisted of a purple dress decorated with a large blue diamond on her chest. She also had two "cape wings" that seemed to conceal her arms, if she had any to begin with. The right wing was purple and the left wing was blue. She wore black and green stockings on her shapely legs and wore black high-heeled shoes.

"My name is Fi, sword spirit and servant of the goddess Hyila." she began, her voice flat and intonal. "I do not know what business you have in Skyloft. But if you wish to lend us your aid, then help us defeat Ghirahim."

"Oh, so you dare to interfere in the works of Lord Ghirahim?" Ghirahim asked. "You shall be punished most... deliciously. Minions! Destroy the interlopers!" The Bokoblins charged at Volga and Cia, but Volga shifted into his dragon form and spat another fireball, killing most of them in a single blow. "Oh, the Demon Lord." Cia said. "He shouldn't be too much trouble. Volga dear?" Without another word, Volga dived at Ghirahim, grabbing the screaming demon in his claw and carrying him off. "We'll keep Ghirahim busy. You deal with the stragglers." Cia said as she teleported away.

Volga had carried Ghirahim to a barren part of Skyloft and unceremoniously dropped him to the ground as he assumed his human form. "You overgrown lizard in human's skin!" Ghirahim raged as he summoned a black rapier with a red jewel on it. "You dare to touch my regal frame with your filthy claws?! I'll see you suffer in ways no man has ever dreamed of!"

"I highly doubt it." Volga coldly replied as he summoned his spear and charged at Ghirahim. The demon lord teleported out of the way and summoned six diamond-shaped knives before telekinetically firing them at Volga. Volga performed a frontal spin with his spear to deflect them then breathed a stream of fire at Ghirahim. Ghirahim teleported to avoid the flame then appeared above Volga armed with a large broadsword. Volga backflipped to avoid it and gathered fire around his spear before releasing a wave of flame.

Ghirahim saw the wave and gathered fire around his rapier before releasing a fire disc to counter the flame wave, causing an explosion that knocked the both of them back. Volga managed to recover and charged at Ghirahim. The demon lord brought up his rapier to defend against Volga's spear and with his free hand summoned another longsword to land a clean hit on him. Volga shouted in pain and stumbled back. Ghirahim took advantage and charged at Volga, delivering rapid strikes. Volga blocked each one before using a frontal spin to stagger Ghirahim and then stabbing the ground with his spear to knock Ghirahim down.

"Not bad for a flying snake." Ghirahim scoffed.

"You're an impressive fighter yourself... for someone who looks like a woman." Volga snorted. "Are you sure it's _Lord_ Ghirahim and not _Lady_ Ghirahim?"

"You insolent dog! How dare you?!" Ghirahim raged as dark energy surrounded him. "I'll make you scream for years! When I'm done with you, death will be a mercy! I'll-ahh!" Ghirahim's rant was cut off as he felt a blast of dark energy sear him, bringing the demon lord to his knees. "That's enough of that." Cia said as she stood over Ghirahim.

"I did not require your help, Cia!" Volga protested.

"I know. I just like to take your targets." Cia giggled. "Mostly to get a rise off of you." She then turned to face Ghirahim. "Now that we're away from the humans, Lord Ghirahim." she began. "Let's talk about forming an alliance."

"Work with _you?!_ Laughable!" Ghirahim said from his crouched position. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't drag your pestilent corpse through the depths of- wait a minute." Ghirahim stopped to stare at Cia intently. "There's a presence inside the sorceress." he muttered to himself. Upon closer inspection, he caught a glimpse of an all-too familiar figure. Nearly every part of his body was covered in black scales. He wore a cape around his waist and he was barefoot. Veins of darkness would appear on his body at regular intervals. Upon its forehead was a white X-shaped scar. But the most defining trait about the creature was his fiery hair and piercing red eyes, which could strike fear into the hearts of the bravest of warriors. Ghirahim knew all too well who this was, yet he just couldn't believe it. This was Demise, the Demon King. His former master.

"No..." Ghirahim trailed off, completely stunned by the revelation. "It can't be... It's impossible!"

"You have defeated Ghirahim. Well done." Fi said as she arrived on the scene with some of the soldiers. Ghirahim turned to look at Fi, then looked back at Cia and Volga. A sinister smile crept onto his lips as a look of realization came onto his expression. Ghirahim let out a low chuckle as he got to his feet and dusted himself off. "I apparently underestimated you and the depths of which you would sink to win." he said. "I could learn a lot from you... if you'll let me sign up that is."

"That's it?!" Volga asked, incredulous. "Your obedience is bought so cheaply?"

"I'm not complaining." Cia said. "And now that we have tamed the demon tribe, we've no further use for the humans of this land or the servant of the goddess."

"What?! A double cross?!" The Skyloftian Captain asked, stunned by the betrayal.

"We have been betrayed!" Fi shouted. "I am sensing a tremendous evil within the sorceress. Recommend the maximum use of force on her."

"Please, Mistress Cia. Allow me to conquer Skyloft for you." Ghirahim said. "You've more than earned it."

"Oh! Such obedience! I like you!" Cia cooed. "Well, my work here is done. I'll leave you and Volga to finish up here. Play nice now!" And with that, the sorceress teleported away in a flash of purple flame. "Well, it's just you and me now." Ghirahim told Volga. "But how do I know you won't turn on me?"

"Simple." Volga replied. "Dragon hordes, slay the human filth!" At his command, the Lizalfos army charged at the humans, fully intent on slaughtering them all. "Ooh! I like the way you think!" Ghirahim said. "But it's not fair if you have all the fun! Save some for me!" The Demon Lord snapped his fingers and more Bokoblins and Moblins appeared. "Come, my minions! To the kill!" The Bokoblins charged at the Skyloftian army and assisted the Lizalfos army in attacking them.

"Everyone, fall back to the base!" Fi commanded. "It must be protected at all costs! I will hold off Ghirahim and Volga."

"But Fi!" The Skyloftian Captain protested. "You won't stand a chance against them!"

"Do not argue! Just go!" Fi commanded. The Captain reluctantly nodded and left towards the base. Once he was gone. Fi flew into the air and created a triangle in midair before firing a large blue beam at the ground. The beam was powerful enough to destroy the path towards the main part of Skyloft. She then summoned a symbol of the goddess Hylia and used it as a battering ram to scatter the Lizalfos and Bokoblin forces. "Now there is a 0% chance you can get to our base." Fi said.

"Ugh, Fi you're such a nuisance!" Ghirahim shouted

"If we defeat this sword spirit, the humans of this world won't have the will to resist us." Volga said.

"I estimate a high probability that defeating me will not be easy." Fi said as she transformed into a sword and gathered light energy around herself before firing a Skyward Strike at the two. Both Volga and Ghirahim dodged to avoid it. Ghirahim fired several knives at Fi only for the sword spirit to dodge them all with the fluidity and grace of a ballerina. Moving like a figure skater, she gathered light around her feet before skating around Ghirahim in a triangular position and shifting into her sword form to fire another Skyward Strike in the center of the triangle, causing an explosion that sent Ghirahim flying.

Fi gathered a ball of light in her wings and prepared to fire it at Ghirahim, only for Volga to fly straight at her and tackle her from behind. Fi's body began to shine brightly in a flash of light, blinding the dragon knight and allowing Fi to deliver a solid, light-infused kick to his head and send him to the ground. Before she could do anything, however, Ghirahim had tossed several knives at her, one cutting her leg and another hit her wing. Fi shouted in pain and descended to the ground. Ghirahim charged at Fi and delivered several quick strikes with his dual blades. Fi tried her best to deflect and evade his assault, but some of his blows managed to leave their mark.

Fi tried to deliver another kick, but Ghirahim teleported away just in time for Volga to spew a large fireball at her. Fi was sent flying into the air. Ghirahim snapped his fingers and trapped Fi in a diamond-patterned barrier before several copies of his rapier struck the sword spirit from all sides. Then, a large copy of his broadsword dealt the finishing blow, shattering the barrier and sending her falling to the ground. Volga gathered fire around his spear and struck a hard blow Fi, cracking the diamond on her chest. Ghirahim teleported away and reappeared in midair to deliver another hard blow with his broadsword.

Fi fell to her knees, her skin cracked from the battle damage. "I have sustained excessive damage." she muttered to herself. "The probablity of the Hero emerging is 100%. I shall await him until that happens." she then vanished in a flash of light.

"Hmph, see how the goddess's lapdog runs crying home!" Ghirahim said mockingly. "Well, it's time to massacre more humans!"

"Your enthusiasm is premature." Volga replied. "The hero will soon be on his way here."

"The... _hero?_" Ghirahim repeated slowly. "This hero wouldn't happen to be a boy in a green tunic with a penchant for interfering in one's affairs?"

"Indeed." Volga replied. "He's not the hero you know, but he is the chosen hero."

"Oh great." Ghirahim groaned as he rolled his eyes. "I'd call it a pleasure were it not for the bad memories it's bringing up."

"I share in your anger, but Mistress Cia wants this one alive." Volga said.

"Alive? For what purpose?" Ghirahim asked.

"Human things." Volga replied. "Things of which I'd rather not think about." Ghirahim paused to think on this until his eyes lit up with realization. "Oh... Ugh, humans, truly repulsive creatures." he said with slight disgust. "Indeed." Volga replied. "That's probably the one thing you and I completely agree on."

"Well, here's another thing we can agree on." Ghirahim began. "If we want to trap this hero, we'll need a plan. Fortunately for you, my reptilian rapscallion, I have formulated one that is guaranteed to work... if you trust me that is."

"Oh, this'll be good." Volga said sarcastically as he listened to Ghirahim's scheme.

* * *

><p><strong>What is Ghirahim's plan to capture Link, and will it succeed? Find out on the next exciting chapter of <em>Hyrule Warriors!<em>**

**Next Chapter Preview: The Land in the Sky. On the next chapter of Hyrule Warriors! ****Link and Proxi travel to the floating island of Skyloft only to find it under siege by Volga and the Demon Lord Ghirahim. With the help from a sword spirit called Fi and another young knight, they must defend the island from the demonic forces. Find out what happens on the next chapter of _Hyrule Warriors!_**

**OOC: The young knight is a special guest star. You'll have to read the next chapter to find out who it is!**


	7. Chapter 6: The Land in the Sky

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Hyrule Warriors! Cia and Volga entered the Era of the Sky where they saw the residents of Skyloft engaged in a fierce battle with monsters led by the Demon Lord Ghirahim. After a brief skirmish, the two managed to form an alliance with him. Volga and Ghirahim began to combine their might and terrorize the humans. They also began to formulate a plan to trap Link. Now our hero enters the Era of the Sky, completely oblivious to the dangers awaiting him.**

Link and the troops had emerged from the portal to see a wondrous sight. The land he found himself on was an island floating in the sky. It was a beautiful little town with various houses. One other floating island seemed to have crashed in it. But the most noticeable feature was the giant goddess statue in the center of the island. "Wow, Link! This island is really flying in the sky!" Proxi said.

"Yeah." Link replied. "I've heard of this place before, but I never actually believed it was real." He didn't have much time to admire the scenery however, as he soon saw a group of what appeared to be Skyloftian soldiers fighting Bokoblins. He pulled out his telescope and looked over to the more barren part of Skyloft to see more soldiers fighting Bokoblins. But two figures stood out among the rest. One was Volga, but the other one Link didn't recognize. The man had grey skin and albino, angular hair that covered his left eye and a black diamond mark under it. His left ear was round and his right ear was pointed. On the right ear, he wore a large, blue diamond earring. He was dressed in the most flamboyant clothing: a white bodysuit and gloves decorated in diamond patterns and yellow belt with a large red diamond on it. Around his right arm he wore a golden bracelet. He also wore large burgandy-red cloak with large yellow diamond patterns decorating the inside of the hood.

"Ha! Every last human in these lands will fall by my blade!" Volga roared as he impaled a soldier on his spear.

"That Volga, so full of himself." The man said as he watched the display. "He forgets that it is I, Ghirahim, who leads the demon tribe."

"It's that dragon knight from before!" Proxi said. "He and that other guy must be leading the demons here. Let's take em out!"

"My thoughts exactly." Link said. "Okay, troops! Let's move!" Link and the troops charged into the fray to fight the Dark Forces, the young soldier leading the charge with a massive Spin Attack to clear out most of the Bokoblin forces. A Moblin charged at Link, but he leapt over it and swung his sword in an arc, bisecting the beast and killing it instantly. More Bokoblins surrounded him, but Link used another Spin Attack to finish them off. The Skyloftian Captain saw Link and approached him. "Who are you?" he asked.

"My name's Link." Link replied. "We're here to help!"

"Huh. That's what that dragon guy said, and now he's fighting with Ghirahim!" The captain scoffed. "How do we know we can trust you?"

"Look, I know you're wary and I don't blame you." Link began. "But trust me when I say, I'm on your side. Now I need to speak with whoever's leading this army."

"That would be me." a voice said. Link turned to see a young man walking towards him. The young man was taller than Link, and a bit more muscular. He had bright red hair styled into a pompadour. His eyes were of a brilliant gold. His outfit consisted of a necklace composed of red and green beads and he wore a blue shirt with yellow markings on the sleeves. Over his shirt, he wore a small green cape of sorts. He wore brown, fingerless gloves on his hands and wore beige pants with red markings on them. He had brown boots on his feet. In his hand he held a hammer that was as tall as he was.

"The name's Groose." the young man said. "Who are-wait a minute." Groose walked closer to Link and eyed him curiously. "_Link?!_" he asked, incredulous. "Is that you? You look... different."

"Wait, how do you know my name?" Link asked.

"You don't remember me?" Groose asked. "We were friends!"

"_I think he has you confused with the Link of this era_." Proxi whispered.

"So, I noticed." Link replied before turning to Groose. "Sorry, but I think you have me confused with another. I'm not the Link you know."

"Huh. Well, whoever you are, we can really use your help!" Groose said. "Those monsters are trying to steal Lord Levias's soup! We need it!"

"Who's Lord Levias?" Link asked.

"The Great Spirit of the Sky." Groose replied. "We'll need his help if we want to stop these guys!" But before they could go any further. The two of them were stopped by a voice. "_Link... Master... I wait for you underneath the Goddess Statue_." the voice said. "Did you hear that?" Link asked. "Yeah, I did." Groose replied. "I know who that is! Follow me!" The two raced towards the Goddess Statue, mowing down enemies in their path. Groose showed himself to be quite skilled with his hammer, deftly knocking aside enemies. "You're good." Link said.

"Thanks, been working out." Groose replied. The two managed to make it to the Goddess Statue, there they saw a large pumpkin in the corner of the room and in a pedestal in the center of the room, there was a glowing sword. Link stepped closer toward it and the sword instantly turned into a young girl. The girl had blue skin and seemed to be made out of metal. Her clothing consisted of a purple dress decorated with a large blue diamond on her chest. She also had two "cape wings" that seemed to conceal her arms, if she had any to begin with. The right wing was purple and the left wing was blue. She wore black and green stockings on her shapely legs and wore black high-heeled shoes.

"I have been waiting for you, Link." the girl said. "My name is Fi, servant of the Goddess Hylia."

"Nice to see you again, Fi." Groose said with a smile.

"It is fortunate to see you as well, Groose." Fi replied.

"And now that you're back on your feet, I happily relinquish command of the army to you." Groose said. "This leader stuff is kinda hard."

"How do you know my name?" Link asked Fi. The sword spirit turned to face Link again. "I was created by the goddess to serve the legendary hero." she began. "I can sense that you are not the master from my era, but I can still assign you as a master. I can also sense that my presence will be necessary in the coming battle." she then moved very close to Link's face. "Shall I lend my assistance?" she asked. "Hey, if you wanna help, welcome aboard!" Link asked, nodding furiously in an attempt to get Fi to back off.

"Very well." Fi said as she gave a low bow. "Please allow me to address you as Master from here on out."

"You can, but you don't have to." Link said. "Just Link will do."

"Well, now that the gang's altogether, we need to get that soup to Lord Levias!" Groose said. "We need to convince him to open the paths so we can get to our friends! They're trapped on the other side of Skyloft with Ghirahim and that dragon creep!"

"I shall carry this pumpkin soup." Fi replied as she floated over to the soup and used powerful telekinesis to levitate the pumpkin. "And we'll cover your advance!" Link said as the three of them ran outside with the large pumpkin in tow. Link and Groose did their best to sweep away the monsters and keep them from Fi and the pumpkin. From his vantage point, Ghirahim could see the trio running with the pumpkin. "So, the legendary hero has arrived just as you said." Ghirahim said to Volga, who merely grunted in return. "And they're so _desperate_ to save their friends. How deliciously amusing! But how can they reach them if the road is impassable? Truly a quandary..."

Meanwhile, Link and the others managed to reach the drop off point. "Okay we're here." Link said. "Now what?"

"Now we wait." Groose said. And they didn't have to wait long as a booming voice as loud as rolling thunder roared throughout the sky. "Ho! Ho! Ho!" It laughed. "My favorite soup! Did you bring it for me?!"

"Yes, Lord Levias." Fi replied. "We implore your help to defeat those who would threaten the sky."

"Ah yes, let's see if I can't connect the roads a bit." Levias replied. At that point, the large sky spirit finally revealed himself. And what a sight it was! Levias was a large flying whale with a beard. He was a truly colossal sight to behold. Fi tossed the large pumpkin to Levias and the sky spirit leapt up and swallowed it whole before tackling a nearby floating rock and pushing it to form a path to the barren part of Skyloft. "Many thanks, Lord Levias." Fi said.

"You're quite welcome." Levias said. "Let me know if you need any more divine intervention." With that, he flew away. Ghirahim stared at the departing sky spirit with barely concealed rage. "So, the Great Spirit of the Sky finally shows his face..." He muttered before devolving into a growl. "Levias, you flying nuisance, begone!" he shouted.

"That was the Sky Lord?!" Volga asked.

"Indeed." Ghirahim replied. "Well, the road is open once more. Time to put our plan into action. And perhaps taking the enemy base will lighten my mood. Do try to play your part, why don't you?" Ghriahim then teleported away in a flash of diamond particles. "Arrogant show-off." Volga mumbled.

"All right!" Groose cheered. "We can get to the troops!"

"It is too early to celebrate." Fi replied. "I am sensing that Ghirahim is making his way towards the base. It must be defended."

"I'm all over it!" Link shouted as he ran to the base. Fi tried to tell him to wait, but Link was too far away to hear her. He eventually reached the Allied Base where he saw Ghirahim killing some of the troops. "It's time to take the enemy base!" he shouted. "And I might as well slaughter a few humans while I'm at it!"

"Not while I'm here!" Link shouted as he lunged towards Ghirahim. The demon lord teleported out of the way and stood to face him. "So you're the legendary hero I've heard so much about." He said with a sneer. "Hmph. You at least look more interesting than he did. I just hope you can put up a better fight."

"You're about to find out!" Link roared as he and the demon charged at each other, sparks flying as their sword clashed in an attempt to throw the other off. Just when it seemed Link was overpowering Ghirahim, the demon teleported again and reappeared as a large black sword. Link rolled out of the way as Ghriahim attempted to impale him. Ghirahim transformed back to his normal form and fired off several knives at Link. Link blocked with his shield and prepared to strike back, only for Ghirahim to leap into the air and attempt to strike from above with two blades.

Link jumped back and Ghirahim's blades were stuck in the ground. Link saw the opportunity and delivered furious strikes to the demon. Ghirahim eventually teleported away once more and gathered fire around his rapier before releasing a flaming disc. Link jumped over the disc and performed an overhead smash. Ghirahim summoned his broadsword to defend against it before taking another swing at the boy, Link ducked and delivered a sweeping kick to knock Ghirahim off balance. Ghirahim used a handstand to get back on his feet and charged at him with his broadsword. Link took out his Fire Rod and transformed it into its ax form to counter his attack.

The two combatants traded blows with their massive weapons until they were locked in another stalemate. Link managed to kick Ghirahim in the knee while the demon was distracted. Ghirahim stumbled back and Link quickly shifted the Magic Rod into its cannon form to fire a huge blast of flame at point-blank range, sending the demon into the wall. Ghirahim tried to stand to his feet, but was too exhausted to do so. "Ah... It appears you have some skill after all." Ghirahim said between breaths.

"Call off your troops." Link said, pointing his blade to Ghirahim's throat. "It's over."

"Tch. These fools are so insensitive!" Ghirahim muttered. "Volga! Make yourself useful!" And with that, he teleported away, leaving behind a confused Link. But the soldier didn't have time to think on it as he looked to the sky and saw a big red blur flying towards him at high speeds. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be Volga. Link didn't even have time to dodge before the red dragon grabbed him in his claws and carried the screaming soldier away.

Fi and Groose heard Link screams and turned to see Volga flying away with Link in tow. "Link!" Groose shouted. "We gotta go after him!"

"Correction, _I_ will go after him." Fi replied. "_You_ must stay behind and guard the base in case the monsters attempt to attack it again."

"I... okay. Just be careful." Groose reluctantly replied. Fi nodded and flew off as Groose returned to the base. Meanwhile, Volga had arrived at the barren part of Skyloft and unceremoniously dropped Link to the ground before turning into his human form. "So that's the big plan huh?" Link asked. "Attack the base and get me separated from the group?"

"Perceptive, aren't we?" Volga replied. "Indeed. Mistress Cia wanted me to take you alive. I guess she wants to keep you as a mate. Tch, you humans and your courting rituals sicken me."

"So I've noticed." Link replied. "So why don't you just take me to her already, if that's what you're going to do?"

"Because I have my own reasons." Volga said as he summoned his Dragon Spear. "You are supposedly the reincarnation of the legendary Hero. He once defeated my ancestor Volvagia long ago. I have high expectations of you boy. Do not betray them." Without another word, Volga charged at the young hero. Link raised his shield to block his spear and swung back with his sword, but Volga backflipped away and breathed a stream of fire. Link again blocked with his shield and charged towards Volga with his shield in front of him until Link was close enough to slash him clean across the chest with his sword.

Volga roared and backhanded Link, sending him to the ground. He then leapt into the air and attempted to impale him on his spear only for Link to roll away and parry from behind, delivering more fierce slashes. Volga turned into his dragon form and flew high into the air before attempting to divebomb Link. Link ran out of the way just as Volga crashed into the ground in a thunderous explosion. Link took out his Magic Rod and fired another fireball at Volga. The blast hit its mark and seemingly incinerated him. Link took a cautious step forward until he saw the flaming embers coalesce into another fireball into Volga's hand. Volga himself was completely unharmed.

"Fool... I was **_born_** of flame!" He roared as he tossed the fireball at Link. Link managed to defend against it with his shield, but was still blown back by the force of it. "Is this some kind of joke?." Volga asked. "I expected a battle worth my time, not this child's play!" Link slowly, but surely rose to his feet. "Don't worry." he replied. "I'm just getting started!" He pulled out his gauntlets and charged at Volga. The dragon knight smirked as he dismissed his Spear before turning his hands into dragon claws and charged at Link. The two then grappled each other, both attempting to throw off the other.

Eventually Volga overpowered Link and threw him against one of the wooden shacks. Link tried to regain his senses only for Volga to grab his head and repeatedly slam him against the shack before throwing him through it. Link bounced back and immediately performed an electrified uppercut to Volga's chin, staggering the dragon. Link followed up with more electrified punches, but Volga caught one of them and punched him back, knocking him to the ground. Volga walked over to him and summoned his spear once again.

"Prepare to perish." he said as he raised his spear. But out of nowhere, a blue beam of energy was fired at Volga. Link looked up to see Fi hovering over him. "Master Link. I am relieved to see you are okay." she said.

"Thanks for the rescue Fi." Link said as he got to his feet. "Now let's take him together!" The two then charged at Volga. Volga attempted to impale Link on his spear, but Link grabbed the spear. Using the Gauntlets ability to generate electricity, he sent an electric current through the spear to Volga, electrocuting him severely. Wasting no time, Link ran up to Volga and delivered several lightning-charged punches to throw the Dragon Knight off balance. Volga again caught one of the punches and turned his right arm into a dragon's claw in an attempt to slash at Link. Link dodged the blow and maneuvered behind Volga to deliver another electric punch to the back, sending bolts of electricity through his body.

Volga stumbled forward only for Fi to fly towards him and deliver a light infused kick that sent him into the air. She then flew around Volga at incredible speeds, encasing him in an orb of light. The orb exploded and Volga was sent falling to the ground. Link ran up to him and delivered a two-fisted strike that sent him crashing through several stones and trees. Volga tried to stand up, but instead fell on his knees. Blood was dripping from his mouth.

"My noble dragon blood... spilled by filthy humans?!" he raged. "Unforgivable!" He stood to his feet, a fiery aura enveloping him. "You dare to spill the blood of the mighty Volga?! For that you will suffer in ways no one has ever dreamed of! Your torment will be _**legendary!**_" Volga roared as he radiated fire, his black eyes now glowing red. Link and Fi took a few steps back. "Master, I sense that Volga is unleashing his full power." Fi said. "In his current state, Volga is very dangerous and can likely fell you in a single blow."

"So... what's the plan?" Link asked.

"I recommend a strategic retreat." Fi said.

"And then what?" Link asked. "We gotta stop him!"

"How insolent." Levias's voice echoed. "Were I at full strength, I could crush that dragon like the snake he is."

"Master, perhaps there is a way to replenish Lord Levias's strength." Fi said. "There is a Great Fairy in Skyloft. She might be able to help us defeat Volga."

"That's a great idea!" Proxi said. "I can sense the Great Fairy's presence. I can lead you right to her!"

"Hey guys!" Groose shouted as he ran to them. "Hope I didn't miss anything. Our guys are pushing back the monsters! We might actually win!"

"We're glad you're here, Groose." Link said. "I'm gonna make a run for the Great Fairy. You guys try to distract Volga. Be careful." Fi and Groose nodded as Link ran towards the Fairy Fountain with Proxi leading the way. Volga charged towards Link, but was beaten back by a blast of light from Fi. Groose then charged at the dragon knight to deliver more blows with his hammer. Volga yanked the hammer out of Groose's hand before hitting him with it. Fi tried to deliver a diving kick, but Volga grabbed her and slammed her to the ground before stomping on her a few times. With those two defeated, he ran after Link. His eyes filled with a murderous rage.

Link, meanwhile, had reached the Fairy Fountain and began to pray to the Great Fairy. "Great Fairy!" Link pleaded. "We need you're help! You have to help us defend Skyloft!" At that moment, the Great Fairy arose from her pool. "Ah, the legendary hero graces me with his presence. What an honor for me." she said. "So, having a bit of dragon trouble? Need to give Levias that extra kick? Well then, it's time for a little shock and awe!" With that, she summoned a swarm of fairies and they flew off into the sky with a large pumpkin attached to a fishing rod.

Outside, Volga had reached the Fairy Fountain, but stopped when he saw the fairies carry the large pumpkin. He then saw Levias leap up from the clouds and swallow the pumpkin whole. The Sky Spirit's body began to radiate electricity and a stray lightning bolt hit Volga dead on. The dragon knight screamed in pain as the electricity coursed through his body. He fell to his knees, severely weakened. Link ran towards Volga just as Fi and Groose ran to meet him.

"Master, Volga is weak." Fi said. "Now is the time to deliver the final blow!" Link and Groose nodded and the three of them charged at Volga, who struggled to get to his feet. By the time he did, Link had already struck him with and electrified uppercut, sending him into the air. Fi then leapt into the air and delivered a diving kick to his face, sending him to the ground. Groose then followed up with a few hammer strikes. Fi and Link then fired a combined blast of light and electricity that sent him flying into a nearby building filled with explosives.

"Fools..." Volga said as he tried to get to his feet. "You truly think you can defeat _me?!_" Both Link and Groose exchanged mischievous glances before Link flicked a spark of electricity into the building. Before Volga could react, the building exploded and Volga was sent flying into the air. Just as he fell to the ground, Link tossed his Ball and Chain into the air and then punched it, hitting Volga square in the face and sending the dragon knight through several trees. Volga got to his feet and glared at the trio.

"I would have defeated you if not for the Sky Lord's interference." Volga growled bitterly. "Relying on the power of others... what a cop-out!" He then sprouted his dragon wings and rose into the air. "This is not over, Hero." he said. "We shall meet again. And when we do, you're blood shall stain the ground... and your head shall be my trophy!" And with that, he flew off.

"Alright!" Groose cheered. "We got rid of him! High five!" Both he and Link did a high five, but Groose was sent flying into a building due to Link still wearing his gloves. "Sorry, Groose!" Link shouted. "I really don't know my own strength."

"I'm okay!" Groose shouted back.

"I hate to interrupt your victory, but there are still monsters lurking about Skyloft." Fi said. "We still must deal with them."

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Proxi said as she pulled out a bottle. "The Great Fairy told me to give you this, Link. She said it might help you. She never told me what it does, though."

"Huh. Well, might as well see what it does." Link said. He pulled the cork out of the bottle and immediately, pink smoke emerged out of the bottle and enveloped Link. Link then found himself trapped in the bottle and in his place was the Great Fairy. "Hey! What the hell's going on?!" Link shouted. "Let me out of here!"

"Sorry, little hero." The Great Fairy giggled. "I know it's a little uncomfortable in there, but do try to hang on. I just want to try something." With another giggle, she flew off with Link in tow towards the largest collection of Bokoblins and released Link from the bottle. Link stood ready and was about to draw his sword, only to find it wasn't in his possession. "Where's my sword?!" he asked.

"Looking for this?" Link turned to see the Great Fairy with his sword in her hand. Without another word, she began firing Sword Beams at Link. Panicking, the young soldier dodged the blades of energy, letting them hit the Bokoblins instead. After a while of this, The Great Fairy then began to fire an orb of energy directly at Link. Link suddenly found another sword in his hand and deflected the energy ball back at her. It then turned into a tennis match between the two of them until she knocked the energy ball into the sky, where it then rained down several giant bombs onto the field, clearing out most of the monsters. Link screamed and ran for cover until the onslaught was over.

With that done, the Great Fairy scooped Link back up into the bottle and flew him off to other monster-infested places of Skyloft. In each place she would toy with the hero in various ways while clearing out monsters. In record time, she managed to remove all the monster from Skyloft. Her task complete, she returned to Fi and Groose and released Link. "Well, that was a thrilling workout!" she said. "Many thanks for indulging an old girl's curiosity, Link."

"What... did you... do that... for?" Link asked as he regained his breath.

"Well, I've lived throughout the ages helping the hero in his hour of need." The Great Fairy explained. "And in every age, you heroes seemed to have this frustratingly chronic habit of imprisoning my kind in bottles for healing purposes. So, I'd figured I'd give you a taste of what it was like. Like I said, thanks for indulging me! Till we meet again!" With another giggle, she vanished in a puff of pink smoke. "Crazy psycho fairy." Link grumbled to himself.

"Hey, what did she mean about other heroes?" Groose asked.

"I'll explain that later." Link said. "But right now, let's clean up some of the mess."

"Excellent idea, Master." Fi said. The three of them then met with the soldiers and they began to help rebuild Skyloft. Unbeknownst to them, however, a pair of eyes were watching them from a distance. They were the eyes of Ghirahim, and those eyes were full of contempt. "Oh, how positively drab." he said. "I should bring this happy little moment to a close and make things a bit more interesting." He then summoned a dagger and raised it in the air, preparing to throw it directly at Link's heart. But he faltered as another idea formed within his head, one that made him smile with malevolent glee.

"No... it will be far more delightful to destroy them from the inside!" he cackled as he snapped his fingers and summoned a red insect. The insect flew to a nearby captain and latched itself on to him. The captain groaned in pain a bit before going limp, his eyes glowing red as he walked to Ghirahim and gave a bow. "What is your bidding, Master?" he asked. Ghirahim smiled and gave him a black box filled with more of the insects. "Make sure that as many soldiers as possible gets one of these. It's extremely important for my plan."

"As you command, Master." he said as he walked away, leaving Ghirahim alone. The demon lord chuckled evilly. "Oh this is going to be a most stupendous little play." He mused. "And what a performance it will be! Fraught with danger, betrayal, treachery, and tragedy! Heavens, the drama! It shall be the performance of a lifetime! The Extinction of Skyloft's Humans! And I shall be actor and director! Well, I'd better be on my way. Wouldn't want to be late for my own play." With a maniacal cackle, Ghirahim waved his sword in front of him and vanished in a flash of diamonds.

* * *

><p><strong>Two Hours Later...<strong>

"So, you're from the _future?_" Groose asked, astonished. After two hours of cleaning up the mess left by the battle with the Dark Forces, Link, Groose, and Fi stopped to rest a bit. It was then that Link began to tell the two of them of what happened and how he came to be here. Groose, in particular, listened to his tale with awe. "Okay, that is... one hell of an adventure" Groose said. "Better than the one I had."

"What was your adventure?" Link asked.

"Well. I had to help our Link stop Ghirahim from reviving the Demon King, Demise." Groose replied.

"Correction." Fi interjected. "_I_ had to help Master Link."

"I helped too!" Groose protested.

"True, but_ I_ had a more substantial role." Fi replied.

"D'oh, okay, fair enough." Groose sulked. "So, anyway, you're saying this Gate of Souls thingy is spawning all these monsters?"

"Yeah." Link replied. "According to Lana, it can revive anything that has fallen in this time period when opened."

"That would explain how Ghirahim and his hordes had reemerged here." Fi said.

"Who is Ghirahim?" Link asked.

"Ghriahim is the leader of the Demon Tribe and a sword spirit like myself." Fi explained. "He is the sword of the Demon King Demise. Last time, he led a campaign to revive Demise and obtain the Trifroce to conquer this land, but Master Link and I managed to thwart his plans. But now it seems he has formed an alliance with this Cia. Our first priority is to close the Gate of Souls."

"Yeah, but finding it is the hard part." Groose said. "Where do we start looking?"

"I can help with that! BEEP!" a robotic voice said. The trio turned around to see a diminutive, beige colored robot flying towards them. The robot had no legs and thus hovered above the ground via a propeller in its head. It's arms were actually streams of electricity. The robot had one blue eye and one black eye and its face was brown. It also looked to be wearing a hat of sorts.

"Hey, Scrapper! What are you doing here?" Groose chuckled.

"I was out at the surface world gathering matierials when I saw..." the robot stopped his explanation when he turned to see Link. "Master Shortpants?! Bzzrt! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not the Link you know." Link replied.

"So... you're his twin brother? Beep!" Scrapper asked.

"Something like that." Link replied, not wanting to explain the concept of time travel a second time. Scrapper observed him carefully before shrugging. "Eh, whatever. Buzz! Anyway, I was gathering materials at the Sealed Grounds when I saw this meteor fly into the temple. Beep-Beep! I ran in after it, but it was gone by then. And instead there was this weird swirling portal. But when I got close to it, monster began swarming out of it! I ran out of that temple like nobody's business."

"That's when Cia opened those time portals." Link said. "The Gate of Souls is at the Sealed Grounds!"

"Well, we know where to go, let's get there!" Groose said.

"But how?" Link asked. "We're in the sky. How can we get to the surface?"

"Simple." Groose replied. "With our Loftwings! Follow me!" Groose led Link, Fi, and some of the troops to an abandoned building that managed to survive the attack on Skyloft. At the gate, there was another young man with brown hair and freckles on his face. He was dressed quite similarly to Link. He wore a yellow tunic with white sleeves and a matching yellow cap. Underneath the tunic was a set of chainmail. He wore white pants with brown markings on them and brown boots. Strapped to his back was a sword.

"Hey, Pipit!" Groose said.

"Hey, Groose!" Pipit replied. "Here to collect the Loftwings, eh? Good, taking care of all of them was hard work."

"What are Loftwings?" Link asked.

"Giant birds we ride on." Groose said. "When the monsters started attacking, we hid our Loftwings here, cause they would be the first to be attacked." He and Pipit opened the doors and the troops stepped inside to see giant birds of different colors in stables. "Beautiful, aren't they?" Groose asked.

"Yeah, they are." Link replied. But one of them caught his attention above all others. It was a red Loftwing. It's feathers were colored crimson and it had a white underbelly. Link walked up to it and petted the Loftwing a bit. The bird immediately licked Link's face in return. "Looks like you made a new friend, Link." Proxi said.

"That's Crimson." Groose said. "That was Link's- well, your Loftwing before he left Skyloft."

"Why did he leave Skyloft?" Link said.

"He and Zelda wanted to live on the surface and explore it a bit more." Groose replied. "They wanted me to come with them, but I couldn't leave this place. So, I decided to stay. I was always a Sky Guy." Link opened the stable and Crimson walked out and nuzzled Link. "It appears to have recognized you as its previous master." Fi said. Link got on the Loftwing and petted it some more. At that moment, he began to get visions of a past version of himself riding the majestic bird through the sky, diving onto the surface. "Now that you mention it, he does feel familiar." Link replied.

"Well, now that you and Crimson have been reunited, you'll need this." Groose then handed Link a cloth with an emblem decorated on it that somewhat resembled the crest of the Royal Family. "It's a Sailcloth." Groose said. "You can use it to dive to the surface." He then got on his Loftwing. It was a purple bird with a crest that resembled Groose's pompadour. "Okay troops! Let's move out!"

The soldiers got on their Loftwings and together, they began to fly towards the sky, ready to put an end to Ghirahim for good.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Chapter Preview: Sealed Ambition. Next time on <em>Hyrule Warriors!<em> Link and the others venture to the Sealed Grounds in hopes of closing the Gate of Souls and defeating Ghirahim once and for all, but the cunning demon lord has set his own plan in motion and the troops soon find themsevles fighting their own ranks! Can Link quell this rebellion and stop Ghirahim? Find out on the next exciting chapter of _Hyrule Warriors!_**

**OOC: Well, if you read this chapter, then you know who the mystery guest star is. Rejoice, my fellow _Zelda_ fans, for the Groose... is loose! LOL! **


	8. Chapter 7: Sealed Ambition

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Hyrule Warriors! Link and his troops had entered the land of Skyloft, where they saw its residents engaged in a fierce battle for survival against the Dark Forces led by the Dragon Knight Volga and the Demon Lord Ghirahim. With help from a Sword Spirit named Fi, and a young man named Groose, Link managed to drive away Volga. But Ghirahim had escaped in the chaos. Now our heroes travel to the Sealed Grounds in hopes of defeating Ghirahim for good.**

**OOC: For those who have read chapter 6, you may want to read it again as I added another part to it that has two more special guests. Here are some hints. One has a name that begins with the letter P, and the other calls Link Master Shortpants. This only applies if you read the chapter before I added that part. To those who already saw the part I added, you're cool. :-)**

Using their sailcloths, Link and the troops descended into the Sealed Grounds located deep in Faron Woods. It mainly consisted of a large pit that spiraled downward and was lined with air vents. At the top of the pit was the Sealed Temple which connected to Faron Woods. There were large wooden rails lined around the edge of the pit. "So this is the Sealed Grounds eh?" Link asked.

"Yes." Fi replied. "This is the Sealed Grounds, so aptly named for evil imprisoned here so long ago."

"Oh, so you're here already?" A voice called out. The troops turned to see Ghirahim standing against the temple doors with his arms crossed. "Well, then haste may be in my best interest." Link drew his sword and charged at him, only for Ghirahim to teleport away. At that point, Bokoblins appeared. "Man! He got away!" Link shouted. "Fear not." Fi replied. "I can sense Ghirahim's aura emanating from within the temple. However, the doors are sealed by a magic barrier. Fortunately, I happen to know of another way inside."

"Great!" Groose said. "You heard the lady! Let's move out!" The troops charged into the fray and began to battle the Bokoblin forces, but before Link and Groose could join, Fi pulled them aside. "Master Link, Groose, a word." she said. The three then moved to the side. "What is it, Fi?" Link asked.

"Yeah, we're kinda in the middle of something here." Groose added, a bit annoyed at missing the action.

"I am sensing a strange presence within some of our soldiers." Fi said. "This may be a cause for caution."

"Fi's right, guys." Proxi said. "I can sense it too. There's something not right about them."

"Now that you mention it, there is something off about them." Link replied. "But Groose's right, let's worry about Ghirahim first, then we can worry about the troops."

"Very well, this way." Fi then flew off into the forest with Link and Groose following close behind. They eventually made it to another door leading into the temple. Link took out his Gauntlets and forced the giant doors open. The trio led the human and Goron troops inside the temple, where they saw Ghirahim standing by the Gate of Souls. The demon lord chuckled to himself as they approached him. "Well, you're here." Ghirahim said calmly. "You truly are the reborn hero. You're as persistent as him at least."

"Surrender, Ghirahim." Link commanded. "You've got nowhere to run."

"Hmm, it looks that way." Ghirahim said. "But I assure you, there's no hope for your victory."

"Dude, look around you." Groose said. "You're surrounded. You can't take all of us on."

"Well, I suppose you're right." Ghirahim conceded as he took a low bow. "Guess it would be prudent to bow to your strength... or not! Okay, minions! Just like we rehearsed! Let's show these children what our fangs look like!" At that point, the human soldiers's eyes began to glow red and they all cheered "Ha! Ghirahim!" before attacking the Goron soldiers. "Hey, hey! What's going on?!" Link asked. "You guys are a little confused! The enemy is _that_ way!"

"It is as I feared." Fi said. "Ghirahim has somehow manipulated our forces."

"Well ain't that a kick in the head!" Groose said. "What are we going to do?!"

"Oh, I'm so happy!" Ghirahim exclaimed as he watched the chaos with pure amusement. "_Thrilled_, in fact! My little play is coming along quite nicely! My talent for screenwriting is almost frightening! Maybe I should write a sequel. That would be amusing."

"Guys, let's fall back!" Proxi said. "There's nothing we can do now!"

"Proxi's right! Everyone, fall back and regroup!" Link said as he, Groose, Fi, and the Goron forces ran out of the temple. Once outside, they ran into a scene of pure chaos. The Goron forces were locked in a battle on two fronts between the Bokoblin forces and the hypnotized soldiers. "What'll we do?!" The Goron Captain asked in a panic. "There are turncoats all around us!" One of the hypnotized soldiers charged at Link, but Link quickly disarmed him and delivered a small electric jolt to the back of his neck with his Gauntlets, knocking him unconscious. That's when they saw something strange crawl out of his uniform. It was a small, red insect. The insect fell on the ground and curled up like a ball before exploding into smoke.

"What the hell is _that?_" Groose asked.

"That must be what's controlling the soldiers." Link replied

"I have seen this particular parasite before." Fi said. "These insects operate on a hive mind. If we find the Turncoat Leader, we may find the controlling parasite. I will use my Dowsing ability to locate it." Fi then went silent for a few moments as she focused her dowsing ability on the parasite's residual aura, using it to pinpoint the strongest source of that aura. It was a tricky task due to all the hypnotized soldiers in the area, but Fi eventually managed to narrow down the search and pinpoint the strongest aura.

"I sense that the Turncoat Leader is somewhere to the northwest of here." Fi said. "Let us make haste. We must break Ghirahim's hold on the troops."

"Great!" Link replied before turning to the Goron Captain. "Tell your men to hold on as best as they can. But go easy on them, they're still our boys." The Goron Captain nodded before curling into a ball and rolling away. Fi then flew off with Link and Groose following behind. The trio fought their way through a sea of Bokoblins and brainwashed soldiers. Eventually, the trio reached a Skyloft Captain giving orders to brainwashed troops. "Okay, troops." The captain said. "Lord Ghirahim will give us our next order soon. We must be ready!"

"That's him?" Link asked Fi.

"Indeed. The parasite's aura is emanating most strongly from him." Fi replied. "There is a 100% chance that defeating him will break the parasite's hold on him and the soldiers." The three stepped up and the Captain turned around to face them. "So, you've found me out." he said with an air of arrogance. "Doesn't matter. You can't stop Lord Ghirahim."

"Think about what you're doing, soldier." Link replied calmly. "You're taking on the Hero, a sword spirit, and a guy with a really big mallet. You really think you can take us all on?"

"You're right." The Captain remarked. "I'll kill you first!" He then charged at Link with his sword drawn. Link stood unimpressed and grabbed the sword with his Gauntlet before running a small electric current through it and the Captain, electrocuting him and forcing the parasite off. Link then fired another electric jolt at the parasite, killing it instantly. "Uh... what happened?" The captain asked as he slowly got to his feet. "I remember... a voice in my head telling me to attack the humans."

"Put simply, you were under Ghirahim's control. But you're okay now." Link replied.

"My apologies sir. I shouldn't have let myself get caught like that." The Captain said. Link put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's all right." he said. "Everyone makes mistakes. But the parasites should be gone now, right Fi?"

"Affirmative." Fi replied. "I can confirm that the parasites have been destroyed. All infected soldiers should be returning to normal now."

"Well, if there are no further interruptions, we've got a demon to squash!" Groose said. "Let's get going!"

The three of them then began to make their way back to the temple. Unbeknownst to them, however, they were being watched by Ghirahim from the safety of the temple via a magic screen. Angered by the turn of events, Ghriahim gave a snarl and dismissed the screen with a flick of his wrist. "So, the enemy has found out my plan, eh?" he chuckled darkly as he began wriggling his fingers, a growl building up in the back of his throat. With a dramatic sweep of his arm he yelled. "How unpleasant!"

He then materialized a small script he wrote that depicted how he would defeat the Skyloftian Forces. "Here I go, writing the perfect script for their ruination and they don't even have the decency to _play their part!_" he roared as he tore up the script in fury. He then gave a melodramatic sigh. "Truthfully I feel annoyed. If they cannot follow my every direction, then I shall do away with them! But how to punish them though...?" He placed a hand on his chin and paced the floor as he tried to ponder on this question. That's when he looked up to the Gate of Souls. A smirk tugged at the edge of his lips as an idea formed in his demonic mind.

"Ah... yes, this is perfect!" he exclaimed. "If the Gate of Souls could revive me, then maybe it can revive... _him!_" He then broke out into a bizarre dance. It was the dance of revival. The same dance he used to revive his lord Demise all those years ago. Hopefully, channeling the power of the Gate of Souls would yield the same effect. After performing the dance, he crossed his arms over his chest before spreading them wide, unleash dark mist that poured out of the Gate of Souls and out of the temple into the Sealed Grounds. Ghirahim himself teleported outside to see the results.

Link, Fi, and Groose meanwhile saw the black mist escape the temple and pour into the bottom of the pit. The ground then shook with a thunderous quake. "What the hell's happening?" Link asked. "Earthquake?!"

"Nah, something worse!" Groose replied.

"What's worse than an earthquake?" Link asked.

"If what I think's happening is happening, we're in some deep shit!" Groose replied. The three ran to the edge of the pit where they saw a mass of darkness gathering around a small spike in the center of the pit. That's when something emerged from the pit, something enormous. It was a large eyeless beast whose hide was decorated in black scales. The beast had long arms with three claws on the end of both arm. It had a fiery frill that extended down its back and long tail. On its feet were four round toes. The monster opened its massive maw filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth and gave a thunderous roar before it began to slowly march up the pit.

"Rejoice my hordes!" Ghirahim exclaimed, looking down at the scene from a diamond patterned floating platform. "The Gate of Souls has resurrected our true master! Tremble in fear all who oppose him!" Ghirahim then teleported away into the temple again to watch the scene from the comfort of the temple grounds.

"What the hell is _that?!_" Link asked in a panic.

"That is the Demon King Demise!" Fi replied. "Or, as we call this form, the Imprisoned."

"That freak of nature's the Demon King?!" Link asked.

"Yes." Fi said. "Long ago, the Goddess Hyila managed to defeat Demise and imprison him in the form you see now. While he is not as powerful as before, he can still destroy this world if he so wishes."

"Put simply: If that thing gets out, no one's safe!" Groose exclamed.

"Well we gotta stop it!" Link replied.

"My thoughts exactly!" Groose replied. "Luckily, I've got just the thing!" Link and Fi followed as Groose ran to the temple. Groose stopped and frantically looked around for something. "Okay... I know I put it here somewhere. It's gotta be still here." He mumbled to himself. He then saw a large tarp covering something. "There she is!" He ran to it and prepared to pull it off. "Ladies and gentlemen! I give you... The Groosenator!" He declared as he pulled off the tarp, revealing a large catapult. "Built her myself. Beautiful, isn't she?"

"The Groosenator? Really?" Link asked.

"Hey, I built it, so I get to name it! And I name it the _Groosenator!_" Groose remarked defensively. "Anyway, this baby'll be more than enough to stun big ugly down there. Just give a shout and I'll let him have a face full of explosives!"

"Just hope it's enough to take that thing down." Link said. "Let's go, Fi!" Before Fi could stop her, Link had already dived off the edge and descended into the pit using his Sailcloth. Link then charged at the Imprisoned, slashing at it relentlessly with his blade. But try as he might, his blows seemed to bounce off the beast. The Imprisoned raised its left foot and attempted to stomp on Link. Link rolled out of the way, but was blown back by the shockwave created from its foot landing.

Fi flew down next to him. "I tried to tell you before you ran off. The Imprisoned's scales will deflect all forms of attack."

"Well then how do we stop it?" Link said.

"The Imprisoned's toes are soft enough to be damaged." Fi continued. "Destroying them should knock the creature off balance and allow you to hit the sealing spike on its head. That should reseal the beast back. I will distract it from the air." Fi flew off and attacked the monster from the air with blasts of light energy. The monster swung its long arms at her in an attempt to attack her, but Fi artfully dodged each swing. Eventually, the Imprisoned opened its massive maw and began gathering dark energy in it before firing a massive beam.

Link, meanwhile, saw the distraction and took out his Gauntlets and the Ball and Chain. He swung the Ball and Chain repeatedly at the monster's toes, allowing the young soldier to keep his distance at the same time. Eventually, he managed to destroy its six frontal toes. Link slid between the monster's legs and attacked the toes on the back of its feet. Eventually, he managed to destroy those too. With nothing supporting it, the monster lost its balance and fell on its back. Link wasted no time and attacked the Sealing Spike on its head with his sword, driving it up into its skull. The monster gave another roar as its body flashed white. It stood straight up and regrew its toes.

"Master, you should not concern yourself with the boy and the Goddess's lapdog" Ghirahim said. "Please focus on getting out of that pit. And the rest of you! Assist our master!" The Imprisoned, in response, summoned a large black halo and rose into the air. "Oh, hell!" Link shouted. "Groose! You could've said that thing could fly!"

"Don't worry, I see it!" Groose replied. "But that's what the Groosenator's for! Big Ugly's going down burning!" He pulled a lever and moved the Groosenator around and tried to get a clear shot at the Imprisoned. "I've got you, you son of a bitch." he muttered as he pulled another lever, letting a bomb fly towards the floating monster. The bomb hit the beast square in the snout, sending it falling to the ground with a thunderous crash. Link wasted no time and again struck the Sealing Spike, driving it into its forehead. The monster's body flashed white once more as it rose to its feet again. It summoned its halo and rose into the air once more.

Groose ran to his bomb supply only to find it cut off by a pile of rocks caused by the impact of the Imprisoned's landing. "Aw man! You'd think I'd learn by now." he said before running to the edge of the Pit and shouting for Link. "Link! Get up here! On the double!" Link ran to a nearby air vent and used that to make his way up the pit. Eventually, he managed to reach Groose. "Bad news, Link. I can't get to my bomb stash!" he said.

"So, what's the plan?!" Link asked frantically.

"Gonna have to use a tried and tested method!" Groose said. "We're gonna launch you onto that thing's head! Just hop in and I'll do the launching!" Link nodded and ran onto the catapult. Groose took the levers and prepared to fire before he suddenly broke out into laughter. "What's so funny?" Link asked. "I'm sorry." Groose said. "It's just that this reminds me of the last time I did this. It's bringing back some good memories."

"Less reminiscing, more catapulting!" Link demanded.

"Right!" Groose replied. He waited a few moments until the head of the Imprisoned came into view. "Fire!" He pulled the lever and launched Link clean at the Imprisoned. Link pulled out his Gauntlets, gathered electricity around them, and performed a massive two-fisted slam on the Sealing Spike, jamming it into the monster's forehead. The monster roared in pain as its body flashed white for a third and final time. It then went still before exploding into particles, vanishing entirely.

"Lord Demise! NO!" Ghirahim screamed, his voice echoing across the land. "This shall not stand! Minions! All-Out attack! Slaughter every last human in this land! And as for you, hero, if you wish to settle this, then I'll give you someone to contend with!" With that, the temple doors opened as more Bokoblins and Moblins poured out. Link had made it back out of the pit and met with Groose and Fi. "Success." Fi said. "I can confirm that the Imprisoned is 100% vanquished."

"Well, that's one monster down." Link said. "There's one more to go. Groose, think you and the boys can hold down the fort while Fi and I deal with Ghirahim?"

"Don't worry, guys. Groose's got this! You just kick some ass for me!" Groose replied.

"Don't worry, we will!" Link said. "Let's go, Fi!" Fi nodded and the two of them ran into the temple once more, fighting their way through legions of Bokoblins until the reached the Gate of Souls where Ghirahim lied in wait. "Well, Ghirahim, I'd call this checkmate." Link said. "So, care to talk surrender terms?" Ghirahim said nothing, but glared at the two. "You definitely remind me of the hero of this era." The Demon Lord spoke with deadly control. A ring of orange diamonds that resembled fire surrounded him as his cape disintegrated into diamond particles.

"You have the same aura." he continued as one of his gloves shattered and exposed his bare arm, which was colored brown and seemed almost metallic. "That same annoying determination." Another glove shattered and exposed the other arm. "That same habit of meddling in affairs that do not concern you." More cracks began to appear on his chest and on his face, the ring of orange diamonds began to turn black. "And just as always... _**it severely pisses me off!**_"

Ghirahim let out an enraged roar as the black and white diamonds enveloped him. When the cloud of diamonds faded, Link was taken aback by what he saw. Ghirahim's appearance took a radical change. His once-pale skin turned brown, save for the white diamond patterns decorating it, particularly on his chest and forehead. His eyes had turned white and lost their pupils. His once-angular hair had now curved upwards in a manner similar to Fi's. Both of Ghirahim ears were now pointed and his mouth had two small fangs in it. Link thought that Ghirahim and Fi could be brother and sister for a second. "Congratulations. You're the second adversary to see this magificent form of mine. And you'll soon be the last!" Ghirahim roared.

"Master, we must seal Ghirahim back into the Gate of Souls." Fi said.

"Whatever it takes, I will drag the both of you into the depths of Hell!" Ghriahim boasted, his voice now gaining a metallic echo. Without another word, he charged at the duo with his fists glowing with purple electricity. Link and Fi dodged as Ghirahim punched the ground. Link charged at Ghriahim and delivered several slashes with his blade, but his blows bounced off his metallic skin. Ghirahim flashed a fanged smile before backhanding Link and sending him into the wall.

Fi fired several blasts of light at the Demon Lord. The blasts caused Ghirahim to flinch and defend himself, but they did no actual damage. Ghriahim then fired a beam of dark energy from his mouth. Fi gracefully flew into the air to avoid it, only for Ghirahim to teleport in front of her and deliver a punch that sent her crashing to the ground. Link recovered and pulled out his Gauntlets, delivering several electric punches to Ghirahim. Each blow caused the demon to stagger backwards, but Ghirahim grabbed one of his punches and counter with his own, delivering a solid blow to Link's stomach before kicking him away.

Fi performed a diving kick at Ghirahim, landing a solid blow to his face. Ghriahim grabbed her by the leg and slammed her down a few times before tossing her aside next to Link. "Fi, we need a game changer here!" Link said. "This guy's taking everything we can throw at him and slinging it back double!"

"Master, I believe I have a suggestion." Fi replied. "I can sense the residual energy of the Triforce within you."

"I don't see how that helps us." Link said. "Cia took the Triforce of Courage from me."

"Irrelevant." Fi replied. "I can tap into the residual power even if you do not possess the Triforce itself. I estimate an 80% chance that it should give you the edge you need to defeat Ghirahim."

"And what about the other 20%?" Link asked.

"I would recommend you not think on it." Fi replied. She then turned into a ball of light and flew straight into Link's sword. In a flash of light, his sword was transformed. It resembled Fi's Goddess Sword, but it more resembled a longsword. The blade of the sword was white and the hilt had a blue jewel as opposed to the yellow jewel Fi's Goddess Sword had. It shined brightly with light energy. Ghirahim scoffed and in response, he summoned his own blade. Only his wasn't the rapier he normally wielded. It was much larger and more altered. This was his True Demon Blade.

"Use whatever you want!" Ghirahim boasted. "You only prolong your suffering." Gathering dark energy around his blade, the Demon Lord charged at Link. Link charged back and the two locked blades, both trying to throw the other off. Eventually, Link overpowered Ghirahim and slashed at his chest. Ghirahim screamed as the blade slit through the diamond covering on his metallic chest, leaving a noticeable cut on it. "_Master, the chest covering on Ghirahim conceals a weakspot_." Fi said telepathically. "_Use that to your advantage_."

Link wasted no time and slashed at Ghirahim again and again, damaging the covering on his chest. The Demon Lord eventually teleported to a distance and fired off several knives at Link. Link used his Hyilan Shield and deflected each knife, then he pulled out his Gauntlets and leapt into the air to deliver an electrified punch to Ghirahim's chest, destroying the covering and exposing an orange diamond-shaped core. Ghirahim gasped and stumbled back, looking at his wound.

"M-My beautiful skin!" Ghirahim raged. "You bastard! I'll make you suffer!" Ghriahim blindly charged at Link, intending to decapitate him with his blade. Link drew his sword, which was shining with energy. He dodged the swing and impaled Ghirahim right in his diamond core. Ghriahim screamed as he felt the holy energy go through him. He stumbled back and fell to his knees, returning to his normal form. "_Master_, now!" Fi commanded. Link leapt into the air and swung his sword, sending a powerful sword beam that sent the demon flying through the Gate of Souls.

"Ghirahim's gone!" Link cheered. "But how to close the gate?"

"_You must raise your sword to the sky and swing down_." Fi stated. Link followed Fi's instructions and raised his sword into the air, gathering light energy around it before swinging it down and sending a blast of light towards the Gate, causing it to disappear. Fi emerged out of Link's sword and it returned to normal.

"Success." Fi said. "The Gate of Souls has been closed. Ghirahim has been vanquished. All monster activity has stopped."

"Great. Let's go see Groose." Link said. The two of them walked out of the temple and saw Groose and the troops waiting for them. "Hey guys." he said. "Guess you sent Ghirahim packing huh? All of the monsters just up and disappeared."

"Yep!" Link replied. "Ol' Diamond boy won't be causing trouble for a while."

"I must commend the both of you." Fi said. "You both displayed unequaled courage and valor. Because of your efforts, Skyloft and the Surface are safe." Before the three of them could continue the conversation, a yellow portal opened up. "Guess one of the gang must have found Princess Zelda." Link mused.

"Wait, _Princess_ Zelda?" Groose asked. "Zelda is a _princess?_"

"Yeah, didn't I tell you?" Link asked. "Zelda's a princess in my time."

"Huh. Always said that girl was destined to be big." Groose said. "What's Skyloft like in your time?"

"Well, there is no Skyloft." Link said. "In my time. The Surface world is the kingdom of Hyrule."

"Hyrule, huh?" Groose asked. "When I first came here, I wanted to name this place 'Grooseland', but Hyrule has a nice ring to it."

"Say, why don't you two come with me?" Link asked. "We could use your help."

"You are my master. I will accompany you wherever you'd like me to." Fi replied.

"Sorry, but I can't ." Groose said. "The guys are probably gonna need me here to help clean up. But why don't you take this?" He then handed Link what appeared to be a large spinning top. "It's something I found in the Desert. Figured it could come in handy." he said. "Also, there's something I've been wanting to say. Thanks."

"For what?" Link asked.

"Well, my Link and I weren't really good friends at first." Groose began. "I used to pick on him a lot because I was jealous of him and Zelda. But after seeing him rescue Zelda from Demise, it kinda inspired me to be a knight of Skyloft. If it wasn't for him, I'd never be here today. I never got to tell him that before he left, so I figured I could tell you."

"Hey, you might not be a chosen hero," Link began, "But you've definitely got as much courage as one. It was pretty fun fighting beside you. Let's meet again someday." The two then shook hands. "Oh, and one more thing." Groose said. "You're Zelda probably won't recognize me, but tell her Groose said, Hey."

"She'll probably think I'm crazy, but I'll definitely tell her." Link replied as he and Fi walked through the portal, waving goodbye to his new allies.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Meanwhile, at the Temple of Souls...<strong>_

"Volga, you _idiot!_" Cia raged as she tortured the Dragon Knight with blasts of dark lighting from her hands. She was very displeased to hear that Volga had not only failed to capture Link, but had also let the hero close one of the Gate of Souls. "I gave you one simple task and you couldn't even do that right! I told you to bring me the Hero. And not only did you fail to do that, you let him close one of the Gate of Souls. Thanks for screwing up, imbecile!"

Volga took deep breaths to regain his composure. "My apologies, Mistress." he replied bitterly. "The boy managed to best me. But he only did so due to help from his friends."

"So basically you're telling me that you got your butt kicked by a two boys, a sword spirit, and a giant fish." Cia replied sarcastically. "Well, isn't that grand! And here I thought you were supposed to be a mighty dragon warrior."

"How dare you!" Volga raged as he got to his feet. "I am the mightiest warrior in the land! You are the one who requires the help of others to achieve your goals, you self-righteous little-Ahhh!" Volga's rant was again silenced by another blast of dark lightning. "Just shut up." Cia groaned as she sat back down. "Never send a lizard in human's skin to do a sorceress's job. Let's just hope that Wizzro fares much better than you did. We lost one foothold, we can't afford another loss."

* * *

><p><strong>Next Chapter Preview: Land of Myth. Next time on <em>Hyrule Warriors<em>. In their quest to find the Gate of Souls, Impa and Sheik travel through Death Mountain where they are attacked by a strangely hostile tribe of Gorons led by their chief Darunia, who has also captured Princess Ruto. Can the two Sheikah overcome their differences and work together, or will they perish in the mountains? Find out on the next exciting chapter of_ Hyrule Warriors!_**


	9. Chapter 8: Land of Myth

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on Hyrule Warriors! Having successfully defeated Volga in Skyloft, Link, Fi, and the Skyloftian troops flew down to the Sealed Grounds in hopes of defeating the Demon Lord Ghirahim and closing the Gate of Souls. Unbeknownst to them, however, Ghirahim had a trap laid well in advance and managed to turn some of the soldiers against him. But Link managed to free them from his control. In desperation, Ghirahim used the Gate of Souls to revive his former master Demise in his Imprisoned state But even this wasn't enough to defeat Link and he managed to slay the Imprisoned and seal Ghirahim in the Gate of Souls. With the Era of the Sky safe from evil, our adventure now continues in the Era of the Hero of Time with Impa and Sheik. Find out what happens, now!**

**OOC: Sorry this chapter took so long. The Thanksgiving holidays caught up with me. Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! **

It had been several hours since Impa, Sheik and the troops entered the Era of the Hero of Time. The kingdom resembled the Hyrule she knew, yet it was vastly different. It really felt strange. The two Sheikah and the troops had spent the majority of those hours looking for the Gate of Souls. Their journey had taken them all across the land. Now, they were traversing through Death Mountain, the home of the Goron tribe. Impa had sensed an evil presence in the mountains and thought that would be wear the Gate of Souls was. Throughout the trip, everyone could tell there was some palpable tension between Impa and Sheik. The tension came mostly from Impa due to her distrust of Sheik.

Ever since Sheik joined the group, Impa couldn't help but be suspicious about Sheik. She certainly knew a lot about the Royal Family and its secrets, even for a Sheikah, but every time she asked, Sheik would always throw out some cryptic riddle to dance around it. She would also get the same result everytime she tried to ask more about Shiek's identity. The constant evasion of questions was irritating and only served to stoke the fires of mistrust and suspicion. After a while of walking through the mountain, Impa turned to face Sheik. "You could have accompanied either Lana or Link, yet you chose to come with me. Why?" She asked.

Sheik ignored her question and walked past her. Impa let out a small snarl of irritation. "I know you heard me." She said. Sheik continued to ignore her questions. "You know, I can't figure you out..." Impa said. "How much do you _really_ know of the Sheikah tribe?" Shiek, again, did not answer. Impa let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, let's try a different question. Tell me, who is the leader of your tribe?"

"Impa, which would be you." Shiek finally replied, not turning to look at Impa. "Well, now we're getting somewhere." Impa replied. "Now, there's just one problem: There is _no one_ in my tribe who goes by that name." Sheik stopped and turned to face Impa, who walked closer to her. The rest of the troops stopped as well. "I see I have your undivided attention." Impa said. "So, how about we try again with a more straight answer? Who are you and what are you really after?" Sheik hesitated for a few moments and it seemed like she was finally going to say something, but in that moment, a fairy flew in between the two Sheikah. "Hey listen!" the fairy said. "My name is Navi! I need your help!"

"What is it?" Impa asked.

"Princess Ruto's been kidnapped!" Navi shouted.

"Princess Ruto of the Zoras?" Sheik asked.

"Yeah! She was abducted by the Gorons!" Navi said. "Their leader, Daruina, used to be such a gentle soul. But someone named Zelda showed up and he hasn't been the same since!"

"Zelda? Princess Zelda is here?!" Impa asked. "But how would meeting Princess Zelda drive Darunia mad?"

"Let's go and see with our own eyes." Sheik replied.

"I'll lead the way!" Navi said as she flew off ahead with the two Sheikah and the troops following behind her. "I'm concerned about our current mission, but for now our top priority is Princess Ruto's safety."

"Indeed." Impa replied. "But don't think we're finished here. We'll be continuing our conversation when this is done."

"Yes. Yes. I know." Sheik said. "But for now, let's focus on the task at hand." The group eventually made it to the Goron's stronghold. There they saw an army of Gorons that was seemingly awaiting them. "No closer, trespassers!" The Goron Captain shouted. "You stand on the sacred ground of the Goron tribe! Leave at once!" Sheik remained unfazed and walked towards the Gorons alone. "Sheik, what are you doing?" Impa asked. "I prefer words over violence." Sheik replied. "If there is a way to avoid all out war, I will readily seek it out." With that, she walked up to the Gorons. Impa stared at Sheik. There was something about those words that reminded her of Princess Zelda. But she didn't have much time to dwell on them.

"No closer, humans!" The Goron Captain shouted. "Take one more step and you'll be crushed by our great big boulders!"

"Please. We mean no harm." Sheik replied. "We have heard that Princess Ruto has been captured. We wish to negotiate her safe return. May we speak with your chief?"

"I'm right here." A voice called out. Impa and Sheik turned to see a large Goron walking towards them from within the stronghold. This Goron was larger and more muscular than the rest of his kind. The symbol of the Goron tribe was tattooed on both of his massive forearms. The spikes around his head served to resemble wild, unkempt hair. Like with most Gorons, he had purple eyes. "My name is Darunia. I'm the chief of the Gorons. What business have you with us?"

"We have heard that Princess Ruto had been taken prisoner." Impa replied. "We have come to negoiate her safe return."

"Princess Ruto is my prisoner. She trespassed on our land." Darunia bluntly said. "And I would suggest you leave if you don't want to share her fate."

"Please. I do not wish for this to be an all out war." Impa implored. "There must be some way we can resolve this peacefully." Darunia stared at Impa intensely, studying her for a moment. His violet eyes seemed to bore into the Sheikah's very soul. "There is one way." Darunia said as he folded his arms. "A duel. If you defeat me, then I will set the Zora Princess free. But _when_ I defeat you, you will leave these mountains and never return."

"Agreed." Impa replied.

"Um, Impa? A word?" Sheik said as she and Impa moved to the side. "Are you sure this is wise? I'm sensing something... off about Darunia."

"What do you mean?" Impa asked.

"I sense a dark presence controlling the Goron leader." Sheik said. "This may be dangerous."

"You said you wanted to avoid an all out war. This is the best way to do it." Impa said. "Besides, I've fought Gorons before. This should be simple enough." She then walked towards Darunia and drew her Giant's Knife. Daruina gathered a ball of flame in his hand before it dissipated into a mighty hammer. The hammer was made of sturdy metal and colored black and red. It also had the symbol of the Goron Tribe emblazoned on it. It was the Megaton Hammer. A hammer forged by the legendary blacksmith Biggoron.

The two warriors walked toward each other as the Hyrulean forces and the Goron forces surrounded the two combatants. "May the best warrior win." Impa said.

"I intend to." Darunia said as he charged towards Impa. The Sheikah rolled out of the way as Darunia crashed the ground with his hammer. Darunia then tossed a fireball at Impa. The Sheikah summoned a wall of water to defend against it, creating a smokescreen that covered the area. Using it as cover, Impa managed to make a clean slice at his back. The Goron roared and backhanded Impa, sending her to the ground. Darunia then leapt into the air and attempted to crush her underneath, but Impa summoned a waterspout to send him flying into the air. The Goron managed to land on his feet and pounded the ground with his hammer, summoning a large geyser of magma.

Impa rolled out of the geyser's path and fired a crescent blade of water at Darunia. The Goron blocked it with his hammer, but it was merely a distraction for the Sheikah to leap into the air and deliver a kick to Darunia's head. The blow disoriented the Goron chief and allowed Impa to make a clean slash across his chest. Darunia roared in pain and attempted to punch Impa, only for the Sheikah to grab his arm and throw him to the ground in front of the Gorons. "I believe that this is checkmate." Impa said triumphantly. "Now, about Princess Ruto?"

"Our chief has fallen!" The Goron Captain exclaimed. "Someone get him the rock sirloin!" One Goron came running to Darunia's side with a flaming rock in his hands. The Goron fed the rock sirloin to Darunia. After swallowing it, Darunia's eyes snapped open and he leapt back to his feet with renewed vigor. "Ha ha! I'm back up to fighting strength!" He roared. "Ready for the next round?!"

"Now that is completely unfair!" Impa complained.

"You're on Goron turf, so you play by Goron rules!" Darunia said. "You can either fight me again or forfeit the match. Your choice."

"Guess there's no other choice." Impa said as she walked towards Darunia, ready to continue the match. But she didn't get far as she was stopped by Sheik. "Impa. A word?" she asked as she pulled her aside. "I'm not sure this is a good idea." Sheik began. "If they're going to keep pulling that Rock Sirloin trick, then this could drag on longer than it needs to. Besides, we still have to find the Gate of Souls. We need a new strategy."

"Sorry Sheik." Impa said. "But I have my strategy." She started towards Darunia again only for Sheik to pull her arm once more. "What is your problem?" Sheik asked, her tone uncharacteristically angry. "Ever since I joined you, you have given me the cold shoulder on every occasion. I get I'm not your favorite person, but the least you could do is trust me!"

"And that's just it. I don't trust you." Impa replied curtly. "You have been an invaluable help to us, I will admit that. But you have been very secretive. We don't know much about you, and you won't tell us anything about you. You say you want trust, but how do you expect me or any of us to trust you when we know so little about you?"Sheik paused for a moment, as if saddened by the other Sheikah's words. She then gave a resigned sigh. "You're right." Sheik began. "I do have my secrets so I suppose I cannot expect you to trust me. But believe me when I say I have Hyrule's interest at heart. Please, let me prove it to you."

Impa paused for a moment as she studied the other woman. "Alright. What's your plan?" she replied.

"Just distract him for now. I'll handle the rest." Sheik replied as she walked off. With her gone, Impa walked towards Darunia once more. "So, ready to resume?" the Goron asked. "I am." Impa said as she drew her Giant's Knife and charged at Darunia. Darunia used his hammer to block the blade and threw Impa back. Impa then leapt into the air and attempted a diving kick only for the Goron to grab her leg and slam her to the ground. Darunia then curled into a ball and leapt into the air, attempting to crush the Sheikah from above. Impa quickly recovered and summoned a waterspout to send Darunia into the air.

She then conjured several kunai made of water and fired them at the airborne Goron. Darunia fell to the ground, but quickly recovered. With his hands glowing with fire, he planted his hammer into the ground, creating a large pool of lava towards Impa. Impa rolled out of the way and summoned a tidal wave of water to counter it. Darunia stood his ground and performed a loud clap, dispelling the water before it even reached him. The water, however, served as another distraction. Before Darunia could notice, Impa had made another slash clean across his chest. Darunia shouted in pain and stumbled to his knees.

"Impressive." Darunia said. "You Sheikah are every bit as skilled as the rumors persist."

"You are quite skilled yourself." Impa replied.

"But don't think we're done here." Darunia said as he rose to his feet. "There's still plenty of fight left in this old Goron."

"I figured it wouldn't be easy." Impa said. "So, shall we continue?"

"Let's!" Darunia roared as the two charged at each other to continue their fight.

Meanwhile, Sheik had wandered over to one of the keeps around the mountain. The keep contained a large catapult presumably used to toss boulders at intruders. Guarding the keep were two Gorons. "Man, I can't believe the boss is fighting someone and we're stuck on guard duty." One Goron said to the other. "I know." The other Goron said. "This bites. Guard duty is so boring." Their conversation was interrupted, however, when the two noticed Sheik walking towards them. The two Gorons dropped into fighting stance. "Who are you, outsider?" one of them asked.

"Merely a traveler." Sheik replied with a dismissive hand wave. "Say, would you like to hear a melody I wrote for wiping out evil spirits?" Much to the Gorons's confusion, Sheik began to play a tune on her harp. Then, without any warning, she fired several waves of light from her harp, knocking the Gorons out. "Thank you for being such a captive audience." she mused as she walked into the keep and manned the catapult, aiming it at the central keep where the Rock Sirloin was being prepared. "Now my plan begins." she said as she pulled the lever and fired a boulder at the central keep.

At the same time, Impa continued her battle with Darunia. A battle she was most decidedly losing as whenever Darunia would get tired, a Goron would feed him a Rock Sirloin to replenish his health while Impa was growing more exhausted as the fight dragged on. "Had enough, Sheikah?" Darunia taunted. "Well then, let's end this!" The Goron raised his hands to the sky and began to conjure a large fireball, intent on finishing her off. But before he could throw it, both he and Impa were forced to dodge a large boulder that rolled into the Goron's stronghold and destroyed the statue holding all of the Rock Sirloin.

Darunia gasped and ran into the stronghold just as Sheik arrived and ran to Impa's side. "Impa, are you okay?" Sheik asked. "I'm fine. Just tired." Impa replied as the two ran into the stronghold. "So that was your plan?"

"Yes." Sheik replied. "I figured I'd level the playing field."

"NO!" Darunia roared as he glared at the two Sheikah women. "The Rock Sirloin! It's gone! I'll never forgive you for this!" As he spoke, a dark aura began to surround him. "Impa. It's that same evil aura I sensed eariler." Sheik said. "I can sense it too." Impa replied. "Something is controlling him!" Before they could finish, Darunia curled into a ball and rolled towards them, forcing the two to avoid his attack. Impa readied her blade, preparing to fight Darunia again, only to be stopped by Sheik. "No. Darunia is too strong to fight directly." She said. "We must find whatever is controlling him."

Impa closed her eyes and concentrated on the evil aura around Darunia in an attempt to find whatever was manipulating him. "I sense the aura surrounding Darunia... and one similar to it in this very room." Impa said. "Right there!" she pointed at the corner of the room. Sheik fired a lightning bolt at that spot, electrocuting and revealing a Poe. Impa then leapt into the air and slew the phantom with one fell blow just as Darunia charged at Impa for another attack. The moment the Poe died, Darunia shouted in pain and clutched his head, dropping his hammer as he fell to his knees. The dark aura around him disappeared.

"Ohh... What happened?" Darunia groaned as he rubbed his head. He looked to see Impa and Sheik standing over him. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

"My name's Impa, and this is Sheik." Impa replied. "You were under the spell of an evil force. Sheik and I helped to free you from it."

"You mean you saved me?" Darunia asked before jumping to his feet. "Well, thanks! You have my eternal gratitude! How about a big Goron hug?" Impa put up her arms in protest, but was too late to stop Darunia from giving her such a powerful embrace that Sheik could hear Impa's ribs give an audible crack. "Darunia... I'm glad you're okay." Impa struggled to say, her face turning blue from her lungs collapsing. "But do know I have lungs. I need to breathe."

Darunia immediately let Impa go. "Sorry." he said sheepishly. "I forget how fragile humans are sometimes."

"Big Bro!" A Goron called out as the Gorons and the Hyrulean Forces rushed into the stronghold. "Are you alright Big Bro?" A Goron asked. "I'm okay, brothers." Darunia replied. "These two Sheikah freed me from that ghost that was controlling me. From now on, these two are friends of the Goron tribe!" The other Gorons responded with loud cheers for the Impa and Sheik. "We are honored by your praise." Sheik said. "But we must move on to more pressing matters. Princess Ruto was imprisoned by you. We ask for her safe release."

"Princess Ruto?" Darunia asked. His eyes then widened with shocking realization. "Princess Ruto! Oh no, I completely forgot about her!" Without another word Darunia ran deeper into the stronghold with Impa and Sheik following close behind. Eventually, the three of them came across a jail cell. Within it was a young Zora girl. Like most Zoras, she was a young woman with pale blue skin. She had large fins on her arms and hips and fins on her breasts to make it seem that she was wearing a dress of some sort. Her feet were also finned. she had purple eyes and wore purple earrings. One the sides of her head were two extra purple eyes. her arms were crossed and the expression on her face was one of anger and impatience.

Darunia wasted no time in unlocking Ruto's cell. "Princess Ruto, I am so sorry!" he said as he fell to his knees. Ruto, for the most part, remained silent and walked out of the cell and to the opposite wall where her bracelets were. They were silver bracelets decorated with the scale of the legendary Water Dragon. They also served as a conduit for her water magic. "Princess Ruto, please! You must forgive me! I-" before Darunia could finish the rest of his plea, Ruto blasted him away with a burst of water from her hand.

Ruto then stood over the fallen Goron and shouted. "You animal! What kind of fiend kidnaps a defenseless princess?! Have you lost your mind?! Maybe I should throw you into that prison! Or better yet, I should tell on you to daddy and see what he does!"

"No please! Anything but that!" Daunia said. Their conversation was soon interrupted when Impa cleared her throat to get their attention. "We are relieved to see you're okay, Princess Ruto." she said as she and Sheik gave a low bow. "Who are you?" Ruto asked. "My name is Impa and this is Sheik." Impa said. "We heard you were in danger, so we came to rescue you."

"Really? You saved me?" Ruto asked. "You have my thanks! At least _someone_ around here knows how to treat a princess!"

"Darunia." Sheik began. "We had heard that you encountered Princess Zelda. What happened?"

"Well..." Darunia began as he rose to his feet. "I was on my way over to Lake Hylia to discuss matters with King Zora when all of a sudden I saw Princess Zelda. When I asked her what she was doing here, she put some kind of spell on me. It forced me to do everything she said. She ordered me to capture Princess Ruto for some reason."

"Lake Hylia...?" Ruto asked. "That reminded me. I was at the lake to investigate strange goings-on over there. One of my subjects said they saw monsters emerging from the lake."

"Monsters? That must be where the Gate of Souls is!" Impa exclaimed.

"The Gate of Souls? What's that?" Darunia asked.

"The source of all our woes." Sheik said. "Once we close it, the monsters should disappear."

"Well you have my support!" Darunia said. "It's the least I could do after all my antics. How about you and your soldiers rest here for tonight? We can investigate the lake tomorrow. We Gorons don't have much, but we can offer you what we do have."

"Many thanks." Impa said.

"If you think I'm going to sleep in that cell again, you can forget it!" Ruto said. "I demand a new room! In fact, I want you to carry me to my new quarters. If you want to make up for kidnapping me, this is the best way." Darunia gave a defeated sigh. "I suppose that's fair." he said as he carefully scooped Ruto up and sat her on his massive bicep. The two then walked out of the room, leaving Impa and Sheik alone. "Sheik?" Impa began.

"Yes?" Sheik asked.

"I owe you an apology." Impa said. "I let my mistrust of you cloud my judgement and nearly cost us our chance at saving Princess Ruto."

"It is okay." Sheik said. "Like I said, I haven't been too forthcoming myself."

"Well, it doesn't matter who you are. I'm just glad you're on our side." Impa said. "Anyway, our main concern is finding Princess Zelda and closing the Gate of Souls."

"Actually, the two problems aren't unrelated." Sheik said. "For once we find Zelda, all of your questions about me will be answered."

"What do you mean?" Impa asked.

"It's like I said when we first met." Sheik replied. "You'll meet up with Princess Zelda again, and that time is coming soon."

"Again with the cryptic riddles?" Impa asked, slightly annoyed. "I get that we Sheikah are supposed to be mysterious, but you're taking it a bit too far."

"What can I say? I'm a slave to tradition." Sheik said, amused. Impa chuckled in response. "Let's just get some sleep. We head out in the morning." With that, the two Sheikah began to help the soldiers set up camp.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Chapter Preview: The Water Temple. Next time on <em>Hyrule Warriors!<em> Impa and Sheik make their way to the Water Temple at Lake Hylia where they encounter a startling revelation. It seems that Princess Zelda has fallen under the control of evil and is now leading the Dark Forces. Things only get worse when Ruto ends up captured during the battle. Can Impa and Sheik save the Zora princess and stop Princess Zelda without killing her? Find out on the next exciting chapter of _Hyrule Warriors! _**


	10. Chapter 9: The Water Temple

**Previous Chapter Recap: Last time on _Hyrule Warriors_. Impa and Sheik had entered the Era of the Hero of Time and began their search for the Gate of Souls. Their journey took them to Death Mountain, home of the Gorons. There, they heard from a fairy named Navi that an evil force had taken hold of the Goron Chief Darunia and that he had kidnapped Princess Ruto. After the two Sheikah managed to overcome their differences, they succeeded in freeing Darunia from the force that possessed him and rescued Princess Ruto. The Zora Princess then informed them that Princess Zelda was behind the whole ordeal. Now the heroes journey to the Water Temple in hopes of solving the matter and closing the Gate of Souls.**

Impa and the troops had managed to reach Lake Hyila. Their army was now bolstered by the strength of Darunia's Goron tribe. When they reached the lake, Impa ordered Navi to lfy on ahead and scout out the land. When she did, she came across a startling sight: At the lake, she saw a vast horde of undead monsters and a few Lizalfos seemingly lying in wait. But even more startling was the leader of the monsters. It was Princess Zelda herself! But there was something... off about her. Her once fair skin had a more paler complexion and her eyes were red. It was almost as if it some dark force had taken hold of the benevolent princess. Taking care to avoid detection, Navi moved closer to listen in on her conversation with one of the Stalmasters.

"The Hyrulean Forces will be here soon." Zelda said. her voice was cold and haughty, far from the kind and gentle ruler many would describe her as. "Be ready to slaughter them." The Stalmaster nodded in return and began to order the troops to ready themselves for battle. With no more information to gain, Navi flew back to Impa and the troops, who had positioned themselves in a cave near the lake, out of sight from the Dark Forces. "Ah, Navi. It's good that you're unharmed." Sheik said. "What can you tell us?"

"You're never gonna believe this one!" Navi said breathlessly. "The leader of the monsters is Princess Zelda!"

"Princess Zelda?!" Impa exclaimed. "No. She wouldn't attack us on her own volition."

"We don't know that." Sheik said. "For all we know, she may have been corrupted by the Gate of Souls."

"I refuse to believe that!" Impa passionately declared. "I know Princess Zelda! She is too strong to give in to evil."

"Well, we won't know until we get there." Darunia said. "So what are we waiting for?! Let's get to the action already!"

"Wait." Sheik said. "They probably know we're coming. An ambush would be more preferable."

"Agreed." Impa replied. "Our best option is to flank them by way of the frozen cliff. They won't expect an attack from there. Now, one thing. No one is to harm Princess Zelda without my order. If she is truly corrupted, then we must free her from whatever is controlling her."

"Are you sure that is wise?" Sheik asked. "If all else fails, then we may be forced to harm her."

"I have spent too long trying to find her." Impa said. "I won't harm her unless it is absolutely necessary. Let's move out!" With that, the troops ran up the cliff where they saw a group of Lizalfoses and Stalfoses at the bottom. Before the monsters could even react, Darunia and the Goron troops leapt downward and began to engage them. Impa, Sheik, Ruto, and the Hyrulean troops followed suit and assisted the Gorons, with Ruto creating a large tidal wave to drown most of the Dark Forces.

Zelda, meanwhile, watched the fight from a distance. Her expression was one of contemptuous boredom. "A sneak attack? How surprisingly clever." She said flatly, completely disinterested. "Someone destroy these nuisances." Impa saw the princess and rushed over to her, cutting down the Dark Forces in her path. "Princess Zelda, stop!" she pleaded. Zelda turned to face the Sheikah. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" she asked.

"Princess Zelda, it's me, Impa!" Impa said as she ran over and grabbed Zelda's shoulders. "Don't you remember me? I've been searching for you!" Zelda remained silent for a moment as she stared at Impa with a contemplative look on her face. "Impa...?" she asked again. "Yes!" Impa exclaimed happily. "It's me, remember?" Zelda clutched her head. "Yes... I remember now." She said slowly. "I remember... how useless you were." Before the stunned Sheikah could react, Zelda fired a blast of light magic from her hand, sending her flying a considerable distance until she landed in front of her troops. who looked on with shocked expressions.

"And I also remember how weak you were." Zelda said scornfully. "Soldiers of Hyrule, cease fighting for the unworthy and follow my royal command! Drop your weapons, turn from this place and leave." Zelda then retreated into the Water Temple as the entrance closed behind her. Sheik and Ruto ran to help a stunned Impa onto her feet. "Impa? Are you okay?" Ruto asked. "Yes, I'm fine." Impa replied. "But I can tell you this: That is_ not_ Princess Zelda."

"How can you be sure?" Sheik asked.

"I sensed something within her." Impa said. "Something evil. And then there was her eyes. They were red. Zelda's eyes are blue. And the way she spoke, it had none of the warmth and kindness she has. Zelda would never speak to me like that. It must be an impostor."

"If that is true, we'll need some way to expose her." Sheik said. "But how?"

"The Mirror of Truth might help us!" Ruto said. "The hero once hid it in the Water Temple for safekeeping. I can get it!"

"That sounds like a plan." Impa said. She then took off her Gossip Stone and handed it to Ruto. "You may need this to communicate." Impa then turned to face the troops. 'Listen up! Do not listen to a word that impostor says. That is _not_ our Zelda. Everything she says will be a lie. Right now, closing the Gate of Souls is our top priority. Protect Ruto as she make her way to the lake." The soldiers replied with a simultaneous shout of "Yes, General!" Impa, Sheik, and Darunia went off in different directions to fight the Dark Forces while Ruto, accompanied by five soldiers, made her way to the lake.

Along the way, Ruto was stopped by a group of Lizalfoses. Using her water magic, she created twin swords made of pressurized water and cut each of them down. With the monsters defeated, Ruto dived into the lake. Underwater, she frantically searched for an entrance to the Temple. But she wasn't given much time to search as she soon found herself under attack by what appeared to be a giant fish. The monster had red scales with yellow accents and fins. It had two small horns on its forehead. It's teeth were yellow and razor sharp. And its fierce eyes were green and looked as if it could strike fear into the hearts of even the bravest of warriors.

"A Gyorg?!" Ruto exclaimed. "What's it doing here?! I thought they were extinct!" Extinct or not, it was most certainly real now as it charged at Ruto, intending to swallow the Zora whole. Ruto artfully swam out of its path and fired several ice arrows at the monster. The Gyorg roared in pain and charged at her again. Ruto created a water hammer and bludgeoned the fish several times. The Gyorg opened its mouth and released a school of ravenous piranhas. Ruto again summoned her water swords and did her best to fend off the ravenous fish.

"_This is getting nowhere!_" Ruto thought to herself. "_I've got to find the Mirror of Truth!_" Without hesitation, Ruto began to rapidly swim in a circle, forming a large whirlpool that drew in Gyorg and its spawn. With all of them drawn in, Ruto raised her hand to the sky, causing a waterspout that sent Gyorg flying high into the air. "Flying fish, anyone?" Ruto giggled. With that distraction over, Ruto found the entrance to the Water Temple. She swam through the tunnel and eventually surfaced into a room where the Mirror of Truth was on a pedestal. Ruto ran to the Mirror and grabbed it. "Impa! I have the Mirror of Truth!" she spoke into her Gossip Stone.

"Excellent." Impa replied. "Hurry back. We need you out here."

"On my way!" Just as Ruto was about to leave, the pool of water was suddenly closed. The Zora Princess ran to the nearby door only for it to close on her. At that point, The room began to fill with water. "Impa! It's a trap!" she shouted into her Gossip Stone as she desperately tried to find the entrance. "They knew I was coming. I'm trapped in the room and its filling with water!"

"Ruto! Hang on! We're on our way!" Impa replied.

"It appears I have captured your ally." Zelda said, somehow talking into the Gossip Stone. "If you wish for her safety, you will lay down your weapons and surrender immediately."

"What kind of coward takes hostages?!" Impa asked in outrage. "You stain Princess Zelda's very name!"

"Impa, this is no time for anger." Sheik said. "We must go in after her! There must be a way to open the temple doors."

"Actually, there is!" Navi said. "There are floodgate switches at that house over there. We can use that to enter the temple."

"Excellent idea." Impa said as she and Sheik ran to the shack, cutting down legions of enemies along the way. When they reached the shack, they saw the two floodgate switches and pulled the levers, opening the entrance to the Temple. "Alright!" Darunia cheered as the two Sheikah ran back to meet him. "The floodgates are open! What do you say we _pour_ into the Water Temple?" The Goron laughed heartily. "Get it? Pour? Water puns!"

"Actually, Darunia." Impa began. "You need to stay behind with the troops and protect the entrance. Sheik and I will enter the temple."

"Aw man!" Darunia whined. "I was ready for some action! Okay, then. Good luck!" With a nod, the two Sheikah entered the Water Temple and made their way to the center of the temple. They found a room and tried to open the door, only for it to be locked. Sheik pulled out her Gossip Stone and spoke to Ruto. "Ruto, we've entered the Water Temple. Are you close by?" She asked.

"Very close." Ruto replied. "_In fact, you're right outside!_"

"How do we open the door?" Impa asked

"_There should be two floodgate switches_." Ruto replied. "_Pulling them should lower the water level and open the door. Hurry!_"

"I'll search the eastside, you handle the westside." Impa told Sheik. Sheik gave a nod and the two went their separate ways. Sheik went to the west wing of the temple, searching frantically for the floodgate switch as she cut through swaths of skeletal warriors. Eventually, she came across the southwestern room where she saw one of the switches. Without hesitation, she pulled the lever. "Ruto, I've found one of the switches." she said. "Has there been any change?"

"_The water level's receding a bit!_" Ruto replied. "_Now find the other switch!_"

"Impa's already on it!" Sheik said as she ran back to the room where Ruto was. Meanwhile, on the east wing of the temple, Impa searched for the other switch, cutting down throngs of Lizalfoses and Stalfoses until she finally reached the southwestern room in the temple where she found the switch. She pulled the switch and hurriedly ran back to the Central Hall where Ruto was imprisoned. Sheik had arrived there first and was waiting for Impa. The two Sheikah opened the door and found Ruto thankfully unharmed. "About time you guys got here! I was getting worried." Ruto said as she handed Sheik a purple mirror with the mark of the Sheikah tribe emblazoned on it.

"Here it is, the Mirror of Truth!" Ruto said. "Well, I'm going back on top to help out Darunia. You guys can handle yourselves, right?"

"Don't worry. We can take it from here." Impa said. "Join up with Darunia. We can handle it." Ruto nodded in response and left through the tunnel she used to enter the temple. Impa and Sheik meanwhile walked out of the central hall and into a sandy area when all of a sudden, the wall on the other side vanished, revealing a hidden room and, more importantly, the Gate of Souls. "How did that happen?" Impa asked.

"I don't know." Sheik replied. "Regardless, by accident or design, the way is now open. Let us seal the Gate of Souls and end this madness." The two ran to the Gate of Souls where they saw Zelda awaiting them. "You made it, I see." She said in a monotonous tone that dripped with thinly veiled contempt. "I have no idea how you managed to find me, but no matter. You leave me no recourse." She turned to the Gate of Souls which sprang to life with its ethereal glow. "My loyal servant, King Dodongo! Come forth! Burn these fools to the bone!"

All of a sudden, the two heard screaming. Sheik pulled out her Gossip Stone and saw an image of the Hyrulean and Goron troops fighting a large Dodongo. This one, however, was vastly different than the one Impa had first fought back in Hyrule. This Dodongo had brownish grey scales, black eyes, and two crystalline spikes protruding out of both of its shoulders. The monster menaced towards the soldiers, breathing a stream of fire on them. "Oh no! It's King Dodongo!" Darunia shouted. "Everyone, fall back! Let Ruto and I handle this."

"_Impa, Darunia and I can handle things out here!_" Ruto said. "_You just stop that impostor!_"

"You would truly strike down your beloved princess?" Zelda asked mockingly. Impa snarled and drew her blade, charging straight at her. Zelda leapt out of the way as Impa's Giant's Knife crashed into the ground. "You insolent wretch!" Zelda shouted. "You dare to challenge me?! The Princess of the Hyrulean Royal Family?!"

"Silence, impostor!" Impa shouted as she fired a crescent wave of water at Zelda. "Reveal your true face!" She took another swing at Zelda only for her to block it with her rapier. Zelda then fired a blast of light energy from her open hand, knocking the Sheikah to the ground. Unfortunately for her, Zelda was too distracted to see Sheik aiming a diving kick and hitting the princess square in the face. Zelda stumbled for a bit, but quickly regained her footing in time to defend against Sheik's rapid knife slashes. The two then locked blades and attempted to throw the other off, but Zelda eventually overpowered the Sheikah ninja, forcing her to backflip and fire off several knives at Zelda.

Zelda created a barrier of light to defend against the knives and prepared to fire a Light Arrow, but was forced to avoid a wall of fire created by Impa, now wielding her Naginata. Impa charged at the corrupted princess and attempted to impale her with her Naginata. Zelda stood unfazed and tossed a ball of light at her. The ball exploded, creating a flash of light that blinded the Sheikah and allowed Zelda to fire a Light Arrow at her, knocking her to the ground. Zelda then leapt into the air and attempted to impale Impa on her rapier, but was stopped by a blast of lightning from Sheik's harp that sent her to the ground.

Impa recovered and quickly followed up with a kick to her stomach, followed by a slice across the chest with her Naginata before she finally blasted her away with a fireball at point blank range. Sheik then followed up with a combination of rapid kicks and knife slashes to force Zelda on the defensive before blasting her away again with a wave of light from her Harp. Impa summoned four fiery Naginatas and threw them at Zelda, the explosion knocking her to the ground once more. Impa walked over to her as Zelda tried to stand up.

"It's over, impostor." Impa said sternly. "Reveal yourself." Zelda remained silent for a moment before finally facing Impa again. Only this time, her eyes held no malice. Rather, they were filled with confusion and fear. "Impa...? What are you talking about?" she said. "It's me, Zelda. Where are we?"

"Stop it." Impa snapped.

"Why are you attacking me? What have I done?" Zelda asked pleadingly, her voice breaking. "Didn't you say you would pledge your life to serve me? Why are you doing this?"

"I said stop it." Impa commanded. "You are not Zelda."

"Please, let's go home." Zelda pleaded. "My people need me. You have to take me back!"

"_That's **enough!**_" Impa roared as she pulled out her Giant's Knife, ready to strike down the impostor who would dare use Zelda's voice and image against her. But before she could do anything, she was stopped by Sheik. "Please, allow me." she said as she pulled out the Mirror of Truth. "In the name of the Sheikah tribe, o mystic Mirror of Truth, reveal the evil that stands before us!" She then pointed the mirror at Zelda, causing it to shine a blinding light at the princess. Princess Zelda screamed and covered her eyes with her arm as the light shone forth. At that instant, her form seemingly shattered like glass and in its place was the hideous visage of Wizzro.

"Wizzro?!" Impa exclaimed, astonished by the revelation.

"How did... you see through... my disguise?" the sorcerer asked between breaths.

"Simple." Sheik replied. "You cannot be Zelda..." Sheik spun around as a bright light enveloped her. Impa shielded her eyes, but when she uncovered them, she was truly shocked at what she saw. For Sheik had vanished and what stood in her place... was none other than Princess Zelda! "... For I am Zelda." she said proudly.

"Princess Zelda! You're okay!" Impa happily exclaimed.

"It is nice to see you, Impa." Zelda replied as she turned to face Impa. "Forgive the deception, but I had to-" before she could finish the thought, she pulled out her Wind Waker, a baton that was said to be one of the ancestral instruments of Royal Family, and created a gust of wind to deflect the energy blast. In the same fluid motion, she fired a bolt of lightning from her baton at the wizard, electrocuting him severely. Seeing he couldn't win, Wizzro sank into the ground and retreated.

With Wizzro gone, the two walked towards the Gate of Souls. Forming an orb of light in both of their hands, they fired the orb at the Gate, causing it to vanish instantly. "There. The gate is now sealed." Zelda said. "Yes." Impa replied. "But now you have some explaining to do, Your Highness. How could you do something so reckless?! And why didn't you tell me anything?! Do you know how worried I was?! I almost believed you dead!"

Zelda lowered her head sadly. "I suppose I do owe you an explanation." she replied somberly. "During the battle at Hyrule Field, I realized that the Dark Forces would not cease until I perished. So, when you sent me back to the castle, I decided to disguise myself and slip by the enemy during the chaos. I understand your anger and I am truly sorry that I had to deceive you so thoroughly, but it had to be genuine or else they would have caught on. I wanted to tell you earlier, oh how I wanted to, but I couldn't because I just couldn't bear the thought of you or any of the others getting hurt because of me. I do hope you can find it in you to forgive me."

Impa listened to Zelda's explanation before giving a sigh. She perfectly understood the princess's reasons for her actions, but still felt some residual anger and hurt from being kept in the dark. "I am still a bit angry," she began before placing a reassuring hand on Zelda's shoulder. "but right now I'm more relieved that you are okay. Now let's go. Ruto and Darunia might need our help."

"Indeed." Zelda replied with a nod as the two of them made their way out of the Water Temple. Once outside, they saw Ruto and Darunia still engaging King Dodongo. Though the Goron Chief and the Zora Princess managed to hold their own, the battle was not going well as the beast seemed impervious to all forms of attack. "Darunia! Let's try to drive it into the lake!" Ruto shouted. Darunia nodded and shot a stream of fire from his hands. Ruto did the same and fired a stream of water from her hands. Together, the two managed to slowly but surely drive the monster into the lake. Once submerged, the beast desperately flailed about in an attempt to swim.

Ruto wasted no time and conjured a spear of ice from under King Dodongo, impaling it in the underbelly and killing it instantly. The monster gave one final dying roar before dissolving into particles of darkness. "Ha ha! We beat him!" Darunia cheered. "Wonderful work!" came the praise from Zelda as she and Impa ran to meet them. "Princess Zelda! It's good to see you're okay!" Ruto said.

"But, uh, where's Sheik?" Darunia asked.

"Princess Zelda _was_ Sheik." Impa replied.

"Forgive the deception." Zelda implored. "But I had to hide my identity to protect those around me."

"It's okay, just as long as that Gate of Souls is sealed." Ruto replied. "By the way, did you seal it? All the monsters suddenly vanished."

"It is done." Impa said. "We have sealed the Gate of Souls. Now we must return to our time and reunite with Link and Lana." She pulled out her Gossip Stone and spoke through it. "Lana, we've found Zelda and sealed the Gate of Souls in this era. How are things on your end?"

"That's great to hear!" Lana replied. "I'm just wrapping things up in the Era of Twilight. I'm opening a portal now!" At that second, a yellow portal appeared in front of the group. Zelda turned to Ruto and Darunia. "We may need your strength in the coming battles." she said. "Will you lend us your aid?"

"Why not?" Darunia asked. "It' been a while since I stretched these old bones!"

"Did you just say Link?" Ruto asked. "As in the hero?"

"Why yes." Zelda replied. "Do you know him?"

"Know him?! He's my future husband!" Ruto happily exclaimed. "You can definitely count me in if it means I get to see him again!" Zelda gave a smile as she, Impa, Darunia, Ruto, and the troops left the Era of the Hero of Time through the portal.

* * *

><p><em><strong>At the Temple of Souls...<strong>_

"Wizzro, you zombified moron!" Cia raged after hearing his report about how Zelda managed to elude him and seal off another of the Gate of Souls. "How can you possibly be this incompetent?!"

"But mistress!" Wizzro protested. "You can't possibly blame me! How was I supposed to know Zelda had disguised herself?"

"Anyone could have seen that coming." Volga snorted with slight amusement. "Obviously she used the chaos of the fight to slip away in disguise." He then placed a hand over his right eye as a way to mock the sorcerer. "But I guess you didn't _see_ that, did you?"

"Well, at least I had a plan!" Wizzro retorted. "What's your strategy? Oh, that's right, beat it with a spear. What can I expect from a brainless dragon?" At that point, Volga got right in Wizzro's face. "Watch your tongue, wizard." he said in a low, threatening tone. "Or what, you'll claw my eyes out?" Wizzro asked mockingly. "Don't tempt me." Volga replied. Before either of them could do anything, both of them shouted in pain as they were immobilized by Cia's black lightning.

"This whole experience has taught me something:" she said. "You can't rely on two freaks of nature to get the job done right. With that in mind, it seems I'm going to have to do everything myself to make sure the last Gate of Souls stays open. Out of my way!" She then threw the two of them aside as she walked to the door. "Now, as I investigate a strange power in the Era of Twilight, I'd like the two of you to sit there and think on what you've done or failed to do." Cia said. "And please, try not to kill each other."

She paused as she placed a hand on her chin to think. "Or do. It would be quite a pleasant surprise to come back to." She giggled as she vanished in a burst of dark flames.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Chapter Preview: The Usurper King. Next time on <em>Hyrule Warriors!<em> Cia wanders into the Twilight Realm to investigate a strange source of power. There she meets Zant, the mad usurper of the Twilight Realm. Thinking the Twili would make a valuable addition to her army, she tries to recruit him. Problem is, Zant isn't going to go quietly. Will she succeed? Find out on the next chapter of _Hyrule Warriors!_**

**OOC: God this chapter was a pain to write! Anyway, hope everyone's having a very Merry Christmas! **


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